Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Statement On Arrests Of Alleged Leaders Of The Sinaloa Cartel Ismael Zambada Garcia (El Mayo) And Joaquin Guzman Lopez

The Justice Department issued the following statement from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on the arrests of alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael Zambada Garcia (El Mayo) and Joaquin Guzman Lopez:

“The Justice Department has taken into custody two additional alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world. Ismael Zambada Garcia, or “El Mayo,” cofounder of the Cartel, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of its other cofounder, were arrested today in El Paso, Texas. 

Both men are facing multiple charges in the United States for leading the Cartel’s criminal operations, including its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks. 

El Mayo and Guzman Lopez join a growing list of Sinaloa Cartel leaders and associates who the Justice Department is holding accountable in the United States. That includes the Cartel’s other cofounder, Joaquin Guzman Loera, or “El Chapo”; another of El Chapo’s sons and an alleged Cartel leader, Ovidio Guzman Lopez; and the Cartel’s alleged lead sicario, Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, or “El Nini.”

Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Justice Department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable.”

A Little Humor: Good To Be Old At This Time

 

Meet The FBI Cyber Action Team: Rapid Response Fly Team Can Deploy Across The Globe Within Hours To Respond To Major Cyber Threats

The FBI released a piece on their cyber action team.

Across the globe, malicious cyber activity threatens public safety and national and economic security. Criminals target organizations such as schools, hospitals, power and utility companies, and other critical infrastructure entities that serve communities.

As the lead federal agency for investigating cyberattacks and intrusions, the FBI developed a specialty group—the Cyber Action Team, or CAT—that can deploy across the globe within hours to respond to major cyber threats and attacks against these critical services.

Composed of about 65 members, CAT is an investigative rapid response fly team that leverages special agents, computer scientists, intelligence analysts, and information technology specialists from across FBI field offices and Headquarters.

"We respond onsite to victims who may include national government entities, private companies, or even sometimes foreign partner networks that have been compromised by an adversary," said Scott Ledford, head of the Cyber Action Team and the Advanced Digital Forensics Team. "Our job is to help conduct the investigation—we collect digital evidence and locate, identify, and reverse engineer malware. We also help the victim understand when they were compromised and how, writing a timeline and a narrative of that intrusion with the ultimate goal of identifying who is responsible, attributing that attack."

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

Meet the Cyber Action Team — FBI 

‘Goldfinger’: 60 Years, 60 Facts About The Third James Bond Movie:

Ed Gross at Woman’s World offers a piece on the classic James Bond film Goldfinger starring Sean Connery (seen in the above photo) as Bond: 

Sixty-two years after the James Bond film series began, it’s still going strong, with 25 films under its belt and a 26th eventually going into development. Of them all, Goldfinger, currently celebrating its 60th anniversary, remains one of the most popular. 

For many people, agent 007 has always been a part of pop culture in much the same way that The Beatles are, but there was indeed a time when both were exploding for the first time, the world swept up simultaneously in Bondmania and Beatlemania. And unless you were there, you simply have no idea how big it really was or how insane the fervor.

Released in 1964, Goldfinger was the third entry in the James Bond film series and — along with 1962’s Dr. No and 1963’s From Russia with Love — propelled actor Sean Connery into a superstardom that never faded, even when he left 007 behind after six films.

The plot of the film has James Bond going off to investigate what seems to be gold smuggling by magnate Auric Goldfinger, but what’s uncovered is a plan to radiate the gold in Fort Knox so that the value of his personal holdings will see tremendous growth. And while this sounds like a fairly grounded plot line, the film introduces a great many elements that would come to define the 007 film series for decades to come.

So join us for this unique celebration of Goldfinger — 60 years, 60 facts!

You can read the rest of the piece and watch video clips via the below link:

Goldfinger 60 Years 60 Facts About the third James Bond Film | Woman's World (womansworld.com)

You can also read my Crime Beat column on Ian Fleming's Goldfinger novel and the film Goldfinger via the below link:

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Beat Column: A Look Back At The Classic James Bond Film 'Goldfinger'

Paramount Plus' New Series Mafia Spies: A Look Back At The CIA And Organized Crime's Attempted Assassination Of Fidel Castro

I’ve watched the first couple of episodes of Paramount Plus’ new streaming series, Mafia Spies. 

The docudrama series covers the CIA and Cosa Nostra’s attempts to assassinate Cuban Communist Dictator Fidel Castro. Based on Thomas Maier's book, the look back at the nexus of gangsters, entertainers, politicians and CIA officers who conspired and failed to assassinate Castro is most interesting.

With talking head commentators and acting reenactments, the series is well done. 

I have a few complaints though. Most of the commentators are anti-CIA in general and although Cuban president Batista is called an evil dictator, murderer and torturer often, no such terms are leveled at Fidel Castro, even though Castro was a far more evil dictator and put many more people to death than Batista.

I covered the book in my Washington Times On Crime column. 

You can read the column via the below link:

Paul Davis On Crime: My Washington Times Review of 'Mafia Spies: The Inside Story Of The CIA, Gangsters, JFK, And Castro' 

Former Government Official Arrested For Acting As Unregistered Agent Of South Korean Government

 The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

Sue Mi Terry, (seen in the above photo in a red dress), 54, of New York, New York, was arrested yesterday and presented on criminal charges related to offenses under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

According to court documents, after leaving U.S. government service and for more than a decade, Terry worked as an agent of the government of the Republic of Korea (ROK), commonly known as South Korea, without registering as a foreign agent with the Attorney General, as required by law. As covertly directed by ROK government officials, Terry publicly advocated ROK policy positions, disclosed non-public U.S. government information to ROK intelligence officers and enabled ROK officials to gain access to U.S. government officials. In exchange for these actions, ROK intelligence officers provided Terry with luxury goods, expensive dinners and more than $37,000 in funding for a public policy program focusing on Korean affairs that Terry controlled.

From in or about 2001 to in or about 2011, Terry served in a series of positions in the U.S. government, including as an analyst on East Asian issues for the Central Intelligence Agency, as the Director for Korea, Japan and Oceanic Affairs for the White House National Security Council and as the Deputy National Intelligence Officer for East Asia at the National Intelligence Council. Since leaving government service in or about 2011, Terry has worked at academic institutions and think tanks in New York City and Washington, D.C. Terry has made media appearances, published articles and hosted conferences as a policy expert specializing in, among other things, South Korea, North Korea and various regional issues impacting Asia. Terry has also testified before Congress on at least three occasions regarding the U.S. government’s policy toward Korea.

As she admitted in a voluntary interview with the FBI in 2023, Terry served as a valuable “source” of information for the ROK National Intelligence Service (ROK NIS), the primary intelligence agency for the ROK. For example, in or about June 2022, Terry participated in a private, off-the-record group meeting with a U.S. Secretary level official regarding the U.S. Government’s policy toward North Korea. Immediately after the meeting, Terry’s primary ROK NIS point of contact, or handler, picked up Terry in a car with ROK Embassy diplomatic plates. While in the car, Terry passed her handler detailed handwritten notes of her meeting, which were written on the letterhead of a think tank where Terry had recently worked. Terry’s handler then photographed the notes while still sitting in the car with Terry.

Weeks later, at the request of her ROK NIS handler, Terry hosted a happy hour for Congressional staff. Although the happy hour was ostensibly on behalf of the think tank where Terry worked, the ROK NIS paid for it with Terry’s knowledge. Terry’s handler attended the event and posed as a diplomat, mingling with Congressional staff without disclosing that he was, in fact, an ROK intelligence officer. 

ROK government rewarded Terry for her services. For example, Terry’s ROK NIS handlers gifted her a $2,950 Bottega Veneta handbag and a $3,450 Louis Vuitton handbag, both of which Terry selected during shopping trips with her handlers. One of Terry’s ROK NIS handlers also gifted her a $2,845 Dolce & Gabbana coat. In addition to luxury goods, Terry’s ROK NIS handlers provided her expensive meals, including at Michelin-starred restaurants. Terry’s ROK NIS handlers also deposited approximately $37,000 into an unrestricted “gift” account that Terry controlled at the think tank where she worked. In addition, ROK government officials paid Terry to write articles in both the U.S. and Korean press conveying positions and phrases dictated by the ROK government.

Terry is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate FARA and one count of failure to register under FARA. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York and Executive Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch made the announcement. 

The FBI’s Counterintelligence Division and New York Field Office are investigating the case with assistance from the FBI Washington Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle A. Wirshba, Alexander Li and Sam Adelsberg for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney Christopher M. Rigali of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Statement From U.S. Secret Service Director On Trump Assassination Atempt

Having performed security work for the U.S. Navy and Defense Department for many years, and having covered crime, espionage and terrorism as a writer for many years, I have some questions for the U.S. Secret Service regarding the attempted assassination of former President Trump. 

The Secret Service director’s statement about the roof on which the would-be assassin fired his rifle being sloped, and therefore unsafe for Secret Service special agents to have been positioned there, is one troubling comment.

 

Still, I’d like to reserve judgment until the investigation of the incident is complete, and so should all Americans. 

Below is a statement from U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle (seen in the above photo):

 

I would like to start by extending my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Corey Comperatore, who was killed during the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday, as well as those who were injured during this senseless act of violence.

Secret Service personnel on the ground moved quickly during the incident, with our counter sniper team neutralizing the shooter and our agents implementing protective measures to ensure the safety of former president Donald Trump. 

Since the shooting, I have been in constant contact with Secret Service personnel in Pennsylvania who worked to maintain the integrity of the crime scene until the FBI assumed its role as the lead investigating agency into the assassination attempt. I have also been coordinating with the protective detail for former President Trump and have briefed President Biden on the details of the incident.  

The Secret Service is working with all involved Federal, state and local agencies to understand what happened, how it happened, and how we can prevent an incident like this from ever taking place again. We understand the importance of the independent review announced by President Biden yesterday and will participate fully. We will also work with the appropriate Congressional committees on any oversight action.

The incident in Pennsylvania has understandably led to questions about potential updates or changes to the security for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The U.S. Secret Service, in conjunction with our Federal, state and local law enforcement and public safety partners, designs operational security plans for National Special Security Events (NSSE) to be dynamic in order to respond to a kinetic security environment and the most up-to-date intelligence from our partners.

I am confident in the security plan our Secret Service RNC coordinator and our partners have put in place, which we have reviewed and strengthened in the wake of Saturday’s shooting. The security plans for National Special Security Events are designed to be flexible. As the conventions progress, and in accordance with the direction of the President, the Secret Service will continuously adapt our operations as necessary in order to ensure the highest level of safety and security for convention attendees, volunteers and the City of Milwaukee. In addition to the additional security enhancements, we provided former President Trump's detail in June, we have also implemented changes to his security detail since Saturday to ensure his continued protection for the convention and the remainder of the campaign. 

The Secret Service is tasked with the tremendous responsibility of protecting the current and former leaders of our democracy. It is a responsibility that I take incredibly seriously, and I am committed to fulfilling that mission. 

A Little Humor: A Bit Of Wisdom

I saw this on the Internet and got a kick out of it, as for most writers, it is too true. 

FBI Director Wray's Remarks At Press Briefing At Butler, Pennsylvania On The Assassination Attempt On Trump

The FBI released FBI Director Christopher Wray's remarks at the scene of the attempted assassination of Former President Trump:

What we witnessed yesterday was nothing short of an attack on democracy and our democratic process.

An attempt to assassinate a presidential candidate can only be described as absolutely despicable and will not be tolerated in this country.  

I want to start by offering my deepest condolences to all the victims of yesterday’s shooting and their families.

Our hearts go out to the family of the individual who was killed, the two others who were critically wounded, and, of course, former President Trump and his family.

I want to make sure they know—and the American people know—that the men and women of the FBI are working tirelessly to get to the bottom of what happened.

The shooter may be deceased, but the investigation is very much ongoing. And, because of that, we are limited in what we say at this point.

But what I can say is that we have committed the full force of the FBI to this investigation:

• Both criminal and national security resources
• Tactical support
• Evidence response teams to help process the crime scene
• Victim services specialists
• The FBI Lab and our Operational Technology Division to process the physical evidence recovered

We also continue to operate our FBI Tip Line and encourage anyone with information to reach out to us as soon as possible.

Both in our FBI field office in Pittsburgh and in our command post at FBI Headquarters, we continue to work closely with our federal, state, and local partners, as we did throughout the night last night to ensure there was no ongoing threat to former President Trump or to the people of Pennsylvania.

The American people can rest assured that we will leave no stone unturned as we work to get to the bottom of what happened yesterday.

Thank you again to all those who are hard at work on this investigation.

My Counterterrorism Magazine Q&A With D.G. Macay, The Author Of 'Bubbleheads, SEALs And Wizards: America's Scottish Bastion In The Cold War'

The Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International published my Q&A with D.G. Mackay, the author of Bubbleheads, SEALs and Wizards: America’s Scottish Bastion in the Cold War. 

 You can read the piece below or the below text:

The IACSP Q&A With D.G. Mackay, Author of “Bubbleheads, SEALs and Wizards: America’s Scottish Bastion in the Cold War.”    

D.G. Mackay is a British military historian and the author of “Bubbleheads, SEALs and Wizards: America’s Scottish Bastion in the Cold War.” (Whittles Publishing). 

The book covers the period in the Cold War between 1961 and 1992 when Holy Loch, Scotland was the site of the United States Navy’s nuclear submarine base, the home base of Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 14. In addition to the submarine base, the U.S. military also stationed Navy SEALs and signals intelligence technicians in Scotland to deter the nuclear threat from the Soviet Union.

D.G. Mackay served as an officer in the Parachute Regiment from 1970 to 1987. Retiring as a Lt Col., D.G. Mackay served three tours in Northern Ireland, two tours in UN Cyprus, the Middle East, and various NATO countries including USA, Berlin, Germany, and Nigeria. 

Mackay holds two degrees from the University of Glasgow and one from Leicester University. He was also the American Modern History tutor at Glasgow and academic researcher at Stirling University. 

D.G. Mackay was interviewed by Paul Davis.

Writer’s Note: Mr. Mackay interviewed me for the book, as I served two years (1974-1975) as an enlisted sailor aboard the U.S. Navy tugboat USS Saugus, YTB 780, at the U.S. nuclear submarine base at Holy Loch, Scotland.

In one passage, he confuses me with another former sailor, stating that I served as a mess cook on the submarine tender. Mess cooking was a rite of passage for tender sailors, but not for tugboat sailors like me. But my other comments in the book about tugboat and submarine operations are accurate. 

IACSP: How would you describe your book and why did you write it? 

Mackay: The book is a street-level account of the American military presence in Scotland during the Cold War. It demonstrates that Scotland was a vital location for both the United States and NATO during this period. History is made by leaders but is carried out by people further down the chain of command. I was one of these, a UK Cold War warrior and can vouch for the untold hours of hard work involved. This detailed and thorough work ensured that NATO was successful in the struggle. Their work ethic and pride in their work is the underpinning theme of the book. That is why I chose to write the book – the so-called ‘little people’ tend to be ignored, while lavish attention is poured on to national leaders. The book is a memorial to the day-to-day heroes who won the Cold War.

IACSP: How did you research the book? Who were your principal sources? 

Mackay: Researching the book was problematic as it was mainly done during the pandemic and all archives were closed. However, I was able to dig deep into the internet and unearth many declassified documents. In particular, I worked closely with many veterans’ websites and ended up interviewing more than 150 different people who had been closely involved in this great and exciting enterprise. Most of these interviews were conducted online but some were by telephone, and a few were face-to-face. It was an invigorating experience.

IACSP: Would you describe the how and why the Americans moved their submarine fleet into Holy Loch? 

Mackay: How. A small advance part of US Navy personnel came to Dunoon early in 1961 and liaised with the Royal Navy and local police. In April, the tender ship, USS Proteus, arrived in Holy Loch to be met by a noisy, but peaceful demonstration. Some protesters in canoes attempted to board the vessel but these were chased away, and US Navy sailors were unmolested when they later made their way through the crowd. One of the protesters was a local lad, son of the Dunoon police sergeant; his name was George Robertson and ironically, he later became NATO’s Secretary-General.

Why. The Holy Loch location was the result of an agreement between the UK and US governments which traded this ideal location for American nuclear submarines against British involvement in building their own nuclear-armed submarines with American technical input. The McMahon Act in the United States had forbidden this kind of liaison but the Camp David Agreement in 1959 between Eisenhower and MacMillan overcame it.

IACSP: How would you describe the floating base anchored in the center of the Loch?   

Mackay: It was a fully functional floating dockyard with more than 3,000 employees, adjacent to the River Clyde which was one of the world’s most important ship-building centers in those days. There was a tender ship, which was a fully fitted shipyard and carried out all maintenance and simple repair tasks to the submarines. A huge floating dock would raise the submarines to enable the work to be done. Various floating barges accommodated the workforce and lots of small Navy vessels crisscrossed the loch in support.

IACSP: How did the Scots initially react to the new submarine base? Did the public view of the Americans change over time? 

Mackay: Most Scots were unaffected by this dramatic influx of American military activity. There were some anti-nuclear, anti-American demonstrations but these were principally by outsiders who did not come from Scotland. They quickly died down and any local demonstrations thereafter were small and good natured. Scots regarded the Americans as interesting people and our two nations have had a long and close relationship; many American Presidents have Scottish roots and Scots signed the Declaration of Independence. We regarded the American military as cousins and the on-site relationship was normally excellent at all the US bases.

IACSP: Did the British military and security services work closely with the Americans in countering the Soviet Bear? 

Mackay: Part of my research covered the activities of the security services of both the United States and Great Britain. Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen were already Soviet nuclear targets because of their industrial base and transport infrastructure. In the book, my CIA and UK security services contacts outline the vigorous steps which were taken at the time and emphasize the joint nature of this delicate mission. They reveal that this was always a joint venture, with the UK security services taking the lead as home nation.

IACSP: You also write about the American “Wizards.” How would you describe them? 

Mackay: The Wizards were the US Navy, USAF and USMC radio technicians who manned the radio spy stations at Kirknewton, Edzell and Thurso. I doubt if anybody in Scotland was aware of their real purpose at the time and there is certainly zero knowledge about it even at this later date. They were part of various US-worldwide radio intercept operations which had a huge effect on the Cold War. In particular, they were vital sources of information during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The UK also provided military and security services personnel for this task which was directed by the NSA and coordinated by GCHQ. The secrecy imposed at each location was excellent and local rumors were always fanciful but wide of the mark. And don’t forget that Evanton airfield was one of the major launch sites for Ike’s spy balloons in 1955 – an incident almost totally forgotten in that locality.

IACSP: And you write about U.S. Navy SEALs in Scotland. What were they doing? 

Mackay: Scotland’s geography is superb for Special Forces training as I can vouch. This was obviously a bonus for the SEALs who were based at Machrihanish airfield in a forward-deployed base, similar to the concept of the submarine base at Holy Loch. Their operational zone was in Norway and therefore only a few hours from Scotland. They constantly trained in the locality, often in the nearby Atlantic Ocean, and were so professional that these exploits were seldom witnessed by the locals.

IACSP: Was the U.S. Navy at Holy Loch and other American military units in the U.K. a force for good for both the U.S. and the U.K.? 

Mackay: I Would not use the word ‘good’ to describe this situation. It was a straightforward fact that this arrangement brought benefits to both countries.  The US military presence in Scotland during the Cold War was definitely useful to the UK to be closely involved in the delivery of US military strategy as it increased the close liaison between both nations. The US certainly benefitted from the arrangement as it brought strategic and operational benefits, as well as providing an offshore first strike target for the Soviets. JFK was able to send his top adviser unnoticed to Holy Loch during the Cuban Missile Crisis to assess the battle readiness of the nuclear submarine squadron. His Doomsday orders would have been transmitted through the radio station at Thurso, while the submarine’s navigation accuracy was ensured from Scatsta in the Shetland Isles. For the UK, there were the undoubted benefits of American military nuclear technology. 

IACSP: Would you please also describe how Holy Loch was a hotbed of espionage?  

Mackay: Holy Loch was the center of the latest military technology - nuclear-powered, nuclear missile armed submarines. The Soviets desperately needed this technology as their submarines and missiles were basic and unreliable. At an early stage, the squadron security investigator requested a special order of surveillance equipment to monitor leisure areas frequented by the sailors, such was the concern about the possible presence of Soviet agents. The KGB mounted a serious intelligence-collecting operation. They purchased a small hotel in Dunoon, installed an East German agent and lured in several US Navy personnel and a local man. All were caught and jailed except the local who appeared to have been working for the UK security services. 

IACSP: You mention other espionage stories in your book. 

Mackay: In another incident in the book, a taxi driver began to ask too many detailed questions and a sailor reported this to the squadron security team. Probably the most hilarious example was when several KGB personnel boarded a pleasure steamer and took photos of the base with long-lens cameras. When they disembarked in Glasgow they split up and disappeared from public view. An international trade union conference in Dunoon was flooded with KGB, Stasi, Czech and Polish agents posing as delegates and the squadron commander had to put the hotel out of bounds to US Navy personnel. 

Then, of course, there was the notorious spy John Walker who served aboard a submarine in Holy Loch. 

IACSP: Thanks for speaking to us.

My Counterterrorism Magazine Piece On The Wide Array Of National Security Threats Coming From The Porous Southern Border

The Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International published my piece on the national security threats coming from the Southern Border.

You can read the piece via the below or the below text:

The Wide Array of National Security Threats Coming

From the Porous Southern Border 

By Paul Davis

Border security is one of the hot topics during this year’s contentious presidential election. Among the illegal aliens crossing the border illegally looking for a better life, there are drug smugglers, gang members, and other criminals. There are also suspected terrorists crossing the border illegally.

Eight people from Tajikistan with suspected ties to ISIS were arrested by ICE agents in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and New York City on and before June 11^th. The suspects crossed into the United States from the southern border in 2023.

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security released a statement on the arrests: "Over the last few days, ICE agents arrested several non-citizens pursuant to immigration authorities. The actions were carried out in close coordination with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Forces. The individuals arrested are detained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. As the FBI and DHS have recently described in public and partner bulletins, the U.S. has been in a heightened threat environment. The FBI and DHS will continue working around the clock with our partners to identify, investigate, and disrupt potential threats to national security." 

Back on March 11^th, FBI Director Christopher Wray and other intelligence leaders testified at the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence during the annual Worldwide Threats Assessment hearing. 

The other intelligence leaders testifying about worldwide threats were Avril D. Haines from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, William J. Burns, the director of the CIA, Brett M. Holmgren, the State Department assistant secretary for intelligence and research, Timothy D. Haugh, the director of the NSA/CSS, and Jeffrey A. Kruse, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. 

In FBI Director Wray’s testimony, he spoke of border security threats such as drug trafficking.:59

"We have had dangerous individuals entering the United States," Wray told the U.S. Senators. "We are seeing a wide array of very dangerous threats that emanate from the border. The FBI alone seized enough fentanyl in the last two years to kill 270 million people."

The FBI Wray stated there is no doubt that criminals have entered the United States at the southern border but knew of no specific plot.

"Some of the overseas facilitators of the smuggling network have ties with ISIS that we're very concerned about, and we've been spending an enormous amount of effort with our partners investigating," Wray said.

He noted that there are threats from a variety of dangerous groups.

"Even before October 7, I would have told this committee that we were at a heightened threat level from a terrorism perspective that I've not seen in a long, long time," he said. "The threats from homegrown violent extremists that is jihadist-inspired, extremists, domestic violent extremists, foreign terrorist organizations, and state-sponsored terrorist organizations all being elevated at one time since October 7, though, that threat has gone to a whole other level. And so, this is a time I think for much greater vigilance, maybe been called upon us," he said.

FBI Director Wray was questioned by the Vice Chairman, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence during the annual Worldwide Threats Assessment hearing.

 

RUBIO: Director Wray, we know that over the last three years, millions of people have crossed the U.S. border illegally, and many have been released into the country. Have people with ties to dangerous gangs – like, for example, the prison gang Tren de Aragua from Venezuela – were they among the people that came into this country?

 

WRAY: I don’t know that I can speak to the specific gang, but certainly we’ve had dangerous individuals enter the United States of a variety of sorts.

 

RUBIO: Are we seeing crimes from people that entered the country over the last three years, some of them with ties to gangs or other criminal organizations?

 

WRAY: I would say this from an FBI perspective: we are seeing a wide array of very dangerous threats that emanate from the border, and that includes drug trafficking. The FBI alone seized enough fentanyl in the last two years to kill 270 million people. That’s just on the fentanyl side. An awful lot of the violent crime in the United States is at the hands of gangs, who are themselves involved in the distribution of that fentanyl.

 

RUBIO: But we’re also seeing local law enforcement tracking members of Tren de Aragua in particular. For example, the assault on the police officers in New York. All the reporting said they had ties to this gang in particular. There’s no doubt that people that were criminals in their country of origin have crossed that border and are now in the U.S. committing crimes. 

 

WRAY: Correct. 

 

RUBIO: Is there now a black market emerging to sell fake Social Security cards, fake green cards. Have you seen reporting on that?

 

WRAY: On the darknet, for example, there is a significant marketplace for different kinds of stolen identities. 

 

RUBIO: What about in the street?

 

WRAY: I think so.

 

RUBIO: There are smuggling networks all over the world that specialize in moving people from all over the world, including from the Middle East, Central Asia, and so forth. Are we aware that any of these smuggling organizations are run or conducted by people that have ties, for example, to ISIS or other terrorist organizations?

 

WRAY: I want to be a little bit careful about how far I can go in an open session. But there is a particular network where some of the overseas facilitators of the smuggling network have ISIS ties that we’re very concerned about, and that we’ve been spending an enormous amount of effort with our partners to investigate. Exactly what that network is up to is something that is, again, the subject of our current investigation.

 

RUBIO: There is a network we’re concerned about that has facilitators involved in it that have ties to ISIS and other terrorist organizations. 

 

WRAY: Correct. 

According to the 2024 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, Mexican transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) are the dominant producers and suppliers of illicit drugs to the U.S. market.

“Illicit fentanyl will continue to pose a major threat to the health of Americans. In 2023, a majority of the more than 100,000 annual drug overdose deaths in the United States are attributed to illicit fentanyl mostly supplied by Mexican-based TCOs, even as U.S. law enforcement seized record amounts of illicit fentanyl, precursor chemicals, and pill pressing equipment,” the Threat assessment noted. 

“Mexico-based TCOs are the dominant producers of illicit fentanyl for the U.S. market, although there also are independent illicit fentanyl producers, and the fragmentation of fentanyl operations has made disruption efforts challenging. Some aspects of fentanyl production are spilling over into the United States with drug traffickers conducting the finishing stages of fentanyl pill packing or pressing in the United States. China remains the primary source for illicit fentanyl precursor chemicals and pill pressing equipment. 

“Brokers circumvent international controls through mislabeled shipments and the purchase of unregulated dual-use chemicals. However, Mexico-based TCOs also are sourcing precursor chemicals to a lesser extent from other nations such as India. Money Laundering and Financial Crimes TCOs are defrauding individuals, businesses, and government programs, while laundering billions. Human Trafficking TCOs and criminal actors view human trafficking, including sex trafficking and forced labor, as low risk crimes of opportunity. Multiple criminal actors engage in operations that seek to exploit vulnerable individuals and groups to bolster illicit revenue streams. The TCOs that engage in human trafficking may also engage in drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, human smuggling, and money laundering. 

The assessment also stated that human traffickers typically coerce or defraud their victims into sex trafficking or forced labor, confiscating identification documents and requiring the payment of debts. 

“In 2023, U.S. law enforcement officials noted multiple incidents where unaccompanied minors were exploited in forced labor operations in U.S. food processing plants to pay off debts. TCOs based in the Western Hemisphere and Asia are most likely to engage in human trafficking activity with ties to the United States. Migrants transiting the Western Hemisphere to the United States are exploited by criminal actors through kidnapping for ransom, targets of forced labor, or victims of sex trafficking operations. TCOs, human smugglers, gangs, and lone criminal actors are all taking advantage of elevated levels of U.S.-bound migration, and vulnerable migrants are at risk of being trafficked. Some migrants, who voluntarily use human smuggling networks to facilitate their travel to the United States, are trafficked during their journey.”

 

While elected government officials and those seeking office differ on how best to secure the southern border, all agree that there are major dangerous criminals and terrorists crossing the border. 

Paul Davis, who writes the online Threatcon column, is a longtime Journal contributor.