Operation Coyote[2] was a United States Department of Homeland Security 90-day effort to track and seize revenue generated by Mexican cartels in the human smuggling trade along the Mexico–United States border.
| Operation Coyote | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Human trafficking in the United States | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
| Homeland Security | Coyote smugglers | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
|
540 arrested $950K seized 56 vehicles seized[1] | |||||
History
editOperation Coyote followed the May 2014 Operation Southern Crossing that led to the arrest of 163 smugglers in a single month.[3] Operation Coyote launched in June 2014.
By July, 191 smugglers and 450 undocumented aliens were arrested (or 192 smugglers and 501 undocumented aliens), and $600K (or more than $625K) were seized from US banks. 60 special agents were assigned to the case[4][3]
The Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, commented on the operation in August 2014, announcing that 363 smugglers and their associates had been arrested and more than $800,000 in illicit payments seized.[2][5] In September 2014, the authorities raided 6 homes in Nacogdoches where 4 persons were arrested, and guns were found along thousands of dollars in cash.[6]
From June to September 2014, U.S. agents seized $950,000 (~$1.2 million in 2023) in 504 accounts at undisclosed banks in Arizona, Texas and Maryland. Homeland Security also reported that in this time period, human smuggling generated $50 million, mainly in the Reynosa area of Tamaulipas. Its impact was also considered minor compared to the actual size of the human trafficking industry between Latin America and the US.[1] The operation was criticized for not taking into account the crisis of child migrants crossing the border.[7]
When starting the operations, Homeland Security assumed that Mexican cartels were the main actors of the cross-border human smuggling, with special agent Oscar Hagelsieb stating to the press "We've been able to trace millions of dollars going into the Reynosa area. You cannot operate a criminal venture of that magnitude without the cartels having a major role in it".[8] No further links to the cartels were uncovered by the US feds.
A 2016 Fox News article implied that Operation Coyote was still ongoing, totaling $2 million (~$2.49 million in 2023) seized and 1,100 arrests.[9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Damien Cave, Frances Robles, A Smuggled Girl’s Odyssey of False Promises and Fear, Nytimes.com, 5 October 2014
- ^ a b Corchado, Alfredo (2014-08-29). "For some cartels, human smuggling has taken priority over drugs". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
- ^ a b Goldman, Dave (2014-07-22). "'Operation Coyote' targets human smuggling networks". cbs19.tv. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
- ^ Boss, Owen (2014-07-24). "Feds: Nearly 200 suspected coyotes nabbed in border bust". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
- ^ Smith, Michael; Deprez, Esme E. (2015-01-15). "One Thing Gangs Smuggling Latin Migrants Over the Border Can't Do Without: Big U.S. Banks". Bloomberg Markets. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
- ^ "Homeland Security raids 6 homes in Nacogdoches Co. in connection to human smuggling". ktre.com. 2014-09-09. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
- ^ Gurney, Kyra (2017-03-27). "US 'Operation Coyote' Fails to Address Child Migrant Crisis". InSight Crime. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
- ^ "Mexican cartels ramp up human smuggling business". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
- ^ Sangha, Soni (2016-11-30). "Following money, Feds try to round up networks of immigrant smugglers on border". Fox News. Retrieved 2023-05-30.