In 2021, Sheriff Roy Boyd of Goliad County, Texas, and his 12-year-old son were driving on Highway 59 when Boyd spotted a white pickup truck with fingers sticking out from under a plywood cover. Realizing migrants were being smuggled, Boyd called dispatch, but no deputies were available. He decided to take action himself, chasing the truck until it crashed and the migrants scattered. Boyd managed to detain several men with the help of his son.
Highway 59, which runs from Laredo to Houston, has long been a route for drug and migrant smuggling by Mexican cartels. After the Biden administration’s border policy changes in 2021, Boyd and his deputies found themselves in daily pursuits of cartel vehicles. Boyd decided to take matters into his own hands, developing an innovative approach to law enforcement to combat the cartels.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mexican Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels now operate in all 50 states, causing the worst drug crisis in U.S. history. Smuggling humans across the border has become a major revenue stream for these cartels, generating between $4 and $12 billion per year.
Ammon Blair, a former border patrol agent, explains that cartels operate in a “gray zone,” conducting criminal activities under the radar and subcontracting to local gangs to avoid detection. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to wage war on the cartels and end human trafficking using Title 42, a law that prevents border crossings for public health reasons.
In 2021, Goliad County residents like cattle rancher Arthur Martin experienced property damage from illegal immigrants cutting through their land. The situation became so dire that Goliad County Judge Mike Bennet issued a declaration of disaster. Boyd pitched an idea to Governor Greg Abbott for a state grant to allow local law enforcement agencies to share resources and drive out cartel operations. Abbott granted $1 million to start the Operation Lone Star Task Force.
The task force, which has grown from nine to 52 agencies across Texas, allows local law enforcement to cross county lines, share intelligence, and work together on investigations. This collaborative approach has led to the discovery of numerous stash sites and the arrest of key members of human smuggling rings.
In 2022, Boyd discovered that a Mexican cartel was circulating a photo of him, warning smugglers to avoid Goliad County. The task force’s success led Governor Abbott to grant over $17 million in 2024 to continue expanding.
Sheriff Boyd hopes to replicate the Operation Lone Star Task Force model nationwide, leveraging human intelligence to dismantle organized crime across the United States.
Source: The Free Press
