Homeland Security announces first-of-its-kind task force aimed at fighting transnational organized crime

By Fox News · Fox News

Federal authorities have launched a first-of-its-kind task force in New York aimed at tackling transnational organized crime. Homeland Security Investigations New York Special Agent in charge Ricky Patel announced the formation of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) New York on Wednesday at a news conference alongside leaders from several law enforcement agencies. "This task force is the first of its kind. Using a whole-of-government approach, through a unified framework, the HSTFs serve as a model for protecting the homeland from evolving threats presented by transnational organized crime," Patel said. "The mission of the HSTF is to identify and target for prosecution transnational criminal organizations engaged in diverse criminal schemes involving a myriad of federal violations, both within the United States and throughout the world." Patel said the crimes included homicide, human trafficking, money laundering, kidnapping, extortion, drug trafficking and weapons trafficking. DOJ CHARGES FIVE ALLEGED MEXICAN CARTEL LEADERS, TOUTS ‘EXTRAORDINARY POLICEWORK’ THAT LED TO INDICTMENTS U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said at the news conference that while crime in New York has dropped overall, it remains "way above where it should be," especially in vulnerable communities. He credited law enforcement personnel for the lowered crime rate. The U.S. attorney went on to detail law enforcement agencies' achievements over the last year. This included investigations and charges related to "murders, shootings, stabbings, sex trafficking and narcotics distribution by Tren de Aragua and many other brutally violent gangs." Clayton also said that over a dozen narco-terrorists and members of state-sponsored drug cartels had been charged. The U.S. attorney highlighted a recent narcotics sweep in and around New York City's Washington Square Park, which led to the arrest of 18 defendants. Clayton said the operation "exemplifies what we can do with a whole-of-law-enforcement approach to…