NEWSRELEASE Pinal County Sherif€ Office * 971 Jason Lopez Circle Florence, Arizona 85132 Monday, May 23, 2016 Media Contact: Mark Clark, Publi Information Officer Paul Babeu, Sheriff Office: 520-866-5208 Mark, Clark @pinalcountyaz.qov Sheriff Babeu Warns Citizens of Mexican Sicarios — Assassins FLORENCE, ARIZONA -- Based on credible information about recent Mexican Drug Cartel violence, Sheriff Paul Babeu is warning campers, hikers, mountain bikers and all-terrain vehicle riders of the elevated risks of being out in certain areas of Pinal County this holiday weekend, Sheriff Babeu encourages those who are using the back roads, campsites and trails in the known smuggling corridors of western Pinal County to be very cautious and consider carrying a firearm when in these wildemess areas, Sheriff Babeu has been made aware of the high probability that Mexican Drug Cartels are sending “Sicarios”, groups of professional assassins, to confront and kill rival “rip-crews" who are stealing their drugs during transit along smuggling corridors in and around Pinal County. Recent intelligence reports say Mexican drug cartels have hired armed groups of men to guard drug loads travelling from the US — Mexico International Border to the Phoenix area, a significant part of those routes running through Pinal County. These armed cartel enforcers will be targeting “rip-crews”, who ambush rival-cartel drug runners and steal their drugs loads and money. For more information on the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, please vi Sheriff Babeu said, "We are taking this threat seriously and belfeve that the public and my deputies deserve to know that there is an elevated risk of encountering gun violence in certain areas of Pinal County, It's @ distressing reality that President Obama is unwilling to protect the public from armed incursions across the border and well into Arizona. We have been fighting the Sinaloa Carte! viofence in Arizona for years. We've arrested 21 of their scouts and many more smuggters last year, we are Seizing thousands of pounds of their drugs and yet Obama's response is to erect signs that warn American citizens that it's not safe to travel.” Sheriff Babeu continued, ‘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 Amencan sail.” our Webpage or Follow PCSO on Facebook and Twitter @PinalCSO‘Several shoot-outs in areas south of Pinal County between cartel hitymen and rival gangs have been reported to law: ‘enforcement agencies in and around Pinal County. PCSO has information that Border Patrol agents were shot st by drug ‘smugglers last month on the Tohono O'odham Reservation ‘south of Pinal County. Pinal deputies have also seen a rise in ‘armed encounters with cartel drug runners. In March 2016, a Pinal County deputy stopped a vehicle loaded with drugs and reach for weapons as the deputy contacted them. During debriefings of drug smugglers, deputies heard of several other shoo-outs having occurred along these smuggling corridors, bbut have not confirmed details at this point, Sherif Babeu said, “/ am concemed that when these cartel hitmen have armed confrontations with the ‘fip-crews in the deserts of Pinal County, innocent Americans and my deputies are going to be injured or filed, We had simiar inteligence six years ago that led a gun batte between cartel scouts from one -geng shooting i out with enforcers from a rival gang. In the aftermath of that, we found two cartel scouts ‘had been murdered on a mountain top.” et