Security

As cartel rivalries heat up inside northeastern Mexico, independent protection squads have surfaced in the south, with men from both sectors making videos to warn off “scumbags” and challengers. Writer “Sol Prendido” of Borderlands Beat chronicles their efforts, below. Chiapas: “We Are Not a Cartel, We’re a Self-Defense Group” A …

Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, who was rumored to be ill in March, has resurfaced to say he envisions creating an international private army that would be motivated not by money but by “order.” The prospective altruistic force would fight anywhere in the world in order to protect what Kadyrov called …

by Heath Hansen Soldier of Fortune correspondent Heath Hansen has written about his missions with Arizona Border Recon (AZBR), a volunteer group that gathers intelligence along the US-Mexico border, and shares the information with federal authorities. Over the years, AZBR has provided intelligence that has led to the apprehension of …

Federal police raided the office of a high ranking intelligence official with the Department of Homeland Security, and escorted the man from his Washington, D.C. office for questioning, according to a report published on Wednesday. The official reportedly heads the homeland security office that tracks cartel activity, fentanyl smuggling, human …

by Susan Katz Keating A hazardous response team from the National Guard was brought in last month to help deal with a rash of fentanyl overdoses that swept through a county jail in Washington state. The drug overdoses killed two inmates and overwhelmed four others who had to be revived, …

by Susan Katz Keating In the wake of the “Digileaks” documents case, the Pentagon told top defense officials this week to refrain from leaking classified material – and brought smirking commentary from those who shared copies of the lengthy memo. “Don’t turn me in for sending you this,” one contact …

The Justice Department on Friday announced charges unsealed against 28 members of the Sinaloa Cartel, including the sons of drug trafficker Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, as part of an extensive investigation into fentanyl trafficking. “Today, the Justice Department is announcing significant enforcement actions against the largest, most violent, and most …

by Susan Katz Keating Three people who work for a U.S. government agency have been given polygraph exams in connection with classified defense documents leaked last week, sources told Soldier of Fortune. The people were given the exams at an FBI facility located within the Quantico Marine Corps Base in …

It started as a small-time street gang in 1950’s Los Angeles, and took its name from where it was based: 18th Street, in the city’s Rampart District. It evolved over the years, until the 18th Street Gang – also known as “Barrio 18” – became one of the largest youth gangs …

Over the last eight months, U.S. officials have seized more illicit fentanyl at Arizona’s ports of entry than anywhere else on the US-Mexico border, suggesting a possible shift in synthetic drug trafficking routes. “We’re seeing shipments of all kinds coming in fast through new routes into Arizona,” one Border Patrol …