Arizona Sheriff's Warning to Hikers About 'Mexican Drug Assassins' Is Probably Bullshit
Source: Vice News
Arizona Sheriff's Warning to Hikers About 'Mexican Drug Assassins' Is Probably Bullshit
By Troy Farah
May 27, 2016 | 12:40 pm
An Arizona sheriff has issued a dire warning to anyone planning to enjoy the outdoors near the US-Mexico border over Memorial Day weekend: Watch out for "Mexican drug assassins."
Sheriff Paul Babeu of Pinal County, Arizona has recommended that hikers and campers using back roads and trails be extra cautious and even consider arming themselves to defend against so-called "rip crews" opportunist gangs that rob drug smugglers as well as "sicarios," hitmen allegedly sent by Mexican cartels to exact revenge on said gangs.
"We are taking this threat seriously," Babeu said in a statement. "I'm telling our citizens that want to enjoy the outdoors to travel armed and not let these drug cartels think they have any control over American soil."
While drug-related violence isn't uncommon along the southwest border, there are several reasons to be skeptical of Babeu's warning. For one, Pinal County, which includes suburbs near the city of Tucson, does not border Mexico. Babeu is also the only Arizona sheriff raising the alarm. Chris Nanos, the sheriff of neighboring Pima County, which includes 126 miles of Mexican border, the longest stretch of any county in the US, said he hasn't seen anything to indicate this weekend will be more dangerous than usual.
Read more: https://news.vice.com/article/arizona-sheriff-paul-babeu-pinal-county-warning-mexican-drug-assassins
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Sheriff Paul Babeu
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Jackie Wilson Said
(4,176 posts)Archae
(46,328 posts)Babeu came up with something straight out of some lurid Hollywood movie.
msongs
(67,406 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,542 posts)Tommy_Carcetti
(43,182 posts)L. Coyote
(51,129 posts)dbackjon
(6,578 posts)As, it is
MisterP
(23,730 posts)Midnight Writer
(21,768 posts)How about all the other FoxNews conservative heroes? Ollie North as a military expert. Mark Fuhrman as a crime expert? Larry Kudlow as a tax policy expert? Cliven Bundy as a land use expert? Karl Rove as a political expert?
OMG, where will it end?
Person 2713
(3,263 posts)On his website, Babeu claims that "Pinal County is the number one pass through county in all of America for drug and human smuggling." He is a vocal opponent of illegal immigration and the Obama administration, and has gone so far as to declare the president responsible for crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. His staunchly conservative views were made even more controversial in 2012 when he threatened his Mexican ex-lover with deportation if he ever revealed that Babeu is gay. Babeu admitted to the affair, but denied making threats. He was later cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the state attorney general's office.
As a result of the scandal, Babeu stepped down as co-chair of Mitt Romney's presidential campaign in Arizona and bowed out of the congressional race that year. Instead, he ran for sheriff again and won reelection, retaining the office he has held since 2008.
Earlier this year, Babeu came under investigation by FBI's Phoenix Division for his office's use of seized criminal money, with the feds reportedly examining whether he used the funds for campaign purposes.
Feeling the Bern
(3,839 posts)This fucking Arpaio lite is just as big of an embarrassment. He puts the ASS in embarrassment.
Skittles
(153,162 posts)zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz