Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Brandon Curlee is one of the many state troopers who patrol the waters of the Rio Grande. It’s a stretch of water known for illegal crossings.
“We have seen a heavy traffic of migrant and drugs. We have air support, we have ground support, we have other boats in the water,” Curlee said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sees the situation Curlee described as a crisis. Last week, Abbott issued a disaster declaration along Texas’ southern border. He promised to provide resources to deal with record-breaking numbers of illegal border crossings from Mexico.
In March, Abbott launched Operation Lone Star. The around-the-clock mission pairs DPS troopers with the Texas National Guard to safeguard the southern front from human trafficking, illegal migrant crossings and drug trafficking.
Local and state law enforcement agents cannot enforce federal law when it comes to migrants entering the United States without permission. Stopping the flow of drugs is a focal point of Operation Lone Star on the Texas side of the border.
On the other side, in Mexico, a former narcotics trafficker believes law enforcement is trying to solve the problem the wrong way.
“They’re fighting, yeah, but the enemy is also at home,” said Pastor Abraham Barberi.
Barberi is a born-again Christian and runs a church in Matamoros, Mexico. He has been sober for more than two decades now. Before becoming a pastor, he moved a lot of dope between Reynosa, Mexico, and Houston, Texas.
“In the beginning, I was just receiving cars that had drugs. I would unpack everything because I had a business, a shop,” he said.
Eventually Barberi set his moneymaking sights higher.
“Eventually people knew I was doing that and would say, ‘Hey man, sell me a pound, two pounds, five pounds. Next thing you know I got involved in dealing,” he said.
According to Barberi, as long as Americans continue to use marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other illicit drugs, law enforcement is waging a losing battle.
“I think that this is never going to stop,” said Barberi.
When asked if his efforts are making a dent in the multibillion-dollar drug trade between the U.S. and Mexico, DPS Trooper Matthew Skorupka said “absolutely.”
“Just by simply doing our job. We are highly trained. We have full support of our department and our state government. Which is always nice knowing that when you’re going out and doing your job,” Skorupka said.
Barberi does not share the same outlook.
“I don’t believe the war on drugs will ever stop,” he said.
