Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies working with in conjunction with the Santa Cruz County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, were asked to stop a Chevy Blazer, which they suspeted held drugs. On Interstate 19 the chase, which was taken over by Border Patrol ended in a fiery crash and the driver in federal custody.
Authorities found three bundles of marijuana in the Blazer.
On Wednesday, December 19, at about 5:48 p.m., a deputy attempted to stop the Chevy Blazer at kilometer 8 as it was heading south. The driver refused to stop and began heading west towards the border. U.S. Border Patrol took over the pursuit and the Blazer turned onto Industrial Park Drive at which point it struck a concrete pillar and the driver fled on foot. The Blazer caught on fire.
A short time later, the driver was apprehended by agents.
The Santa Cruz County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force is the primary investigative and interdiction force consisting of federal, state, and local agencies working in collocated or collaborative environments targeting the most significant drug trafficking organizations in their geographic area. In the three counties that border Mexico, the “centerpiece” task forces are primarily focused on interdiction responsibilities. Specialized task forces target violent drug gangs, specialized prosecutions, the movement of drug money and money laundering, and include intelligence collection and sharing initiatives. All the Arizona Partnership task forces provide their intelligence databases to the Arizona HIDTA Center in Tucson, Arizona.