Imperial Valley and Yuma

Calexico, California- On November 21, 2023, officers apprehended a violent documented gang member, wanted for an armed jewelry store heist that occurred in September of 2022. A warrant was recently issued for Anthony Flores's involvement in the jewelry store heist, supported by compelling DNA evidence gathered during a collaborative investigation involving the FBI, ATF, and the Calexico Police Department. Anthony Flores, a 20-year-old Calexico resident was taken into custody and promptly handed over to FBI Agents for federal prosecution.

Yuma, AZ.- On Monday, November 6, 2023 at approximately 1:23 PM, the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) responded to a report of a student in possession of a firearm on campus at Antelope Union High School. The initial investigation revealed a teacher received information regarding a group of students being in possession of a firearm. Teachers then isolated the students in question and reported the incident to YCSO. YCSO Deputies arrived on scene and teachers turned over the firearm. Deputies cleared the school premises and stayed on scene to further investigate. During this time, no other immediate threats were identified and several interviews were conducted. During the course of the investigation, it was disclosed that a student had brought his parent’s firearm to school ...

Yuma, AZ.- On Monday, November 6, 2023, at approximately 6:39 AM, the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a single commercial vehicle collision in the area of S. Avenue 37E and E. County 4th Street. According to information released by Tania Pavlak, Public Affairs Specialist with the YCSO, the initial investigation revealed an agriculture labor bus, containing 34 occupants, was traveling on a field road when, for unknown reasons, the driver lost control of the vehicle and slid into the embankment. This caused the bus to roll over and land on its side. Multiple agencies responded, to include Tri-Valley Ambulance, Rural Metro, Yuma Police Department, Somerton Fire Department, San Luis Fire Department and Arizona Department of Public Safety to assist with multiple pas...

TECATE, Calif., – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Tecate Cargo Facility discovered over $3 million worth of marijuana hidden in a shipment of decorative clay pots.On October 27, at approximately 8:49 a.m., CBP officers encountered a 53-year-old male driving  a commercial tractor-trailer with a shipment manifested as decorated clay planters. The driver, a valid border crossing card holder, was referred for further examination by CBP officers along with the tractor-trailer and shipment.In the secondary inspection area, a CBP K-9 unit screened the shipment and alerted officers to examine the trailer more closely. Officers then used non-intrusive scanning technology to discover dozens of anomalies concealed within the shipment.Upon further examination, CBP officers disc...

SAN DIEGO – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers from the San Diego Field Office demonstrated remarkable vigilance this past weekend when they seized nearly $10 million worth of dangerous drugs at the San Ysidro, Tecate, and Otay Mesa ports of entry. with an estimated street value of $168,720. Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, 130 packages with a total weight of 143.78 pounds were discovered and extracted from the front and rear passenger seats, doors, dashboard, firewall, and spare tire well of a vehicle. The narcotics were tested and identified as methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $215,670. According to the CDC, more than 150 people die every day from drug overdoses related to synthetic opioids derived from fentanyl.&nb...

 Phoenix, AZ – The leaders from all ten of Arizona’s Community College Districts met with Governor Katie Hobbs on Wednesday to share highlights of the work that colleges are doing.  The discussion centered around the impact that Community Colleges provide as an economic driver for Arizonans.  Arizona's ten Community College Districts include Arizona Western College, Central Arizona College, Cochise College, Coconino Community College, Eastern Arizona College, Maricopa Community Colleges, Mohave Community College, Northland Pioneer College, Pima Community College, and Yavapai College.  Connected through shared goals of access and service, Arizona’s community colleges assure open admissions and affordable tuition as a common mission. They provide the primary gateway to higher learning a...

Yuma, Arizona – Three departments at Arizona Western College have cultivated a partnership that is sure to yield some delicious results. The Facilities department recently prepped an area with basic landscaping located outside of the Culinary Arts classroom and installed an irrigation water supply to turn the space into a fully functioning herb garden. The Agriculture program laid down topsoil and transplanted plants grown in their greenhouse so that Culinary Arts classes could harvest the herbs and incorporate them into their dishes. “This is just another example of the collaborative efforts between Facilities and faculty to give our students the skills they need to be successful in the real world,” said AWC Director of Facilities Management Steve Eckert. “Together we can make ...

OCOTILLO WELLS, Calif.- El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a driver attempting to smuggle cocaine through a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint Wednesday evening. On October 25, 2023, at approximately 7:25 p.m., a silver sedan approached the Highway 86 Border Patrol checkpoint. Agents questioned the driver and requested consent to search the trunk. Inside the trunk, agents observed a plastic grocery bag containing three cellophane-wrapped packages. Agents tested the contents of the packages and confirmed the discovered substances as cocaine. The total weight of the cocaine was 7.16 pounds with an estimated street value of $78,000.00. The driver, a 25-year-old male Mexican citizen, and the narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further ...

Phoenix, Arizona.- The Arizona Department of Transportation’s statewide fleet of snowplows is ready to roll wherever and whenever needed now that crews have completed the annual process of equipping the vehicles with what’s needed to clear snow and ice from state highways. Many of ADOT’s 200 snowplow vehicles are used for other important work, primarily as dump trucks, during our warmer weather. By late summer, crews begin to install the large plow blades and other equipment so those trucks are once again prepared as large, powerful snowplows. Systems that measure and spread deicing agents on highways also are installed each year in the beds and on the backs of snowplows. ADOT also held winter planning meetings in Flagstaff in early October that included hands-on training and...

TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and agriculture specialists at the Port of San Luis seized 109 pounds of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and Endangered Species Act (ESA)-protected totoaba swim bladders with an estimated value of $910,000 - $1,365,000. For the second time this year, CBP officers and agriculture specialists discovered 91 swim bladders of the endangered totoaba fish which were concealed within a commercial shipment of frozen fish fillets. A previous seizure at the Nogales trade facility was made in April of this year. CBP contacted U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) who took possession of the bladders. Preliminary DNA testing by USFWS indicates that these bladders are ...