South Texas is a primary corridor for extensive 

drug and human smuggling operations, largely controlled by Mexican transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and cartels. Law enforcement agencies are actively working to disrupt these activities through ongoing operations and newly formed task forces. 

Key Aspects of Smuggling in South Texas

• Primary Corridor: The region, particularly the border areas of Del Rio/Eagle Pass, Laredo, and the Lower Rio Grande Valley, serves as a major entry point for illicit goods and people into the U.S..
• Drug Trafficking: Large quantities of cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and heroin are smuggled across the border. These drugs are often moved to interior U.S. cities like San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas for distribution nationwide.
• Human Smuggling: Criminal organizations are heavily involved in smuggling people across the border, often using hidden compartments in vehicles or guiding groups through remote areas. Smuggling activities can involve dangerous conditions and, in some cases, are linked to human trafficking for forced labor or sexual exploitation.
• Methods: Smugglers exploit the high volume of traffic at official ports of entry and utilize unguarded areas of the Rio Grande, using land vehicles, maritime conveyances (like go-fast boats and rafts), and occasionally air transport.
• Violence and Crime: The competition for control of smuggling routes (“plazas”) leads to violence between rival DTOs. While much of the extreme violence is in Mexico, drug-related crimes like extortion, kidnappings, and assaults on law enforcement officers occur in South Texas. 

Law Enforcement Response

Federal, state, and local agencies are coordinating efforts to combat smuggling. 

• Operations: Initiatives like “Operation Lone Star” involve state authorities, including the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), making numerous arrests for human and drug smuggling.
• Task Forces: A new regional Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF-South Texas) was recently established to specifically target cartels and transnational criminal organizations involved in various crimes, including smuggling, homicide, and money laundering. This task force is a collaboration between agencies such as the FBI, HSI, DEA, CBP, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
• Prosecution and Penalties: Those convicted of smuggling face significant prison sentences. A recent Texas law imposes a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence for smuggling of persons. Federal penalties can range up to 20 years for basic offenses and life imprisonment if a death occurs. 

Reporting Smuggling Activity

If you suspect human trafficking or smuggling, you can contact the following resources:

• iWatchTexas at 844-643-2251 or through their website iWatchTx.org.
• The National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888 or by texting 233733.
• In an emergency, dial 911.