FBI Hybrid Task Forces


June 4, 2015

As Mexican transnational criminal organizations such as drug cartels expand their criminal activity, the FBI is using an unusual cross-programmatic approach to combat the threat.


Audio Transcript

Mollie Halpern: As Mexican transnational criminal organizations such as drug cartels expand their criminal activity, the FBI is using an unusual cross-programmatic approach to combat the threat.

FBI-led Hybrid Task Forces investigate these organizations through the variety of violations they commit—unlike the way traditional squads focus on one crime at a time.

Most of these organizations fund themselves through drug trafficking but are increasingly committing kidnappings, murders, corruption, and more. These crimes are spreading beyond America’s Southwest Border. Supervisory Special Agent Robert Bohls...

Robert Bohls: We are seeing major impact from Mexican transnational organized crime all the way up to Anchorage, to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest over to Honolulu and all the Eastern states. They have their fingers everywhere.

Halpern: Federal, state, and local law enforcement began joining the FBI Hybrid Task Forces in 2014. Since then, they’ve made more than 400 arrests, seen 159 convictions, and seized nearly $5 million in drug proceeds.

Bohls: That’s pretty substantial. That’s really what we thrive on is disrupting these organizations, and you can do that by making arrests, by getting seizures, by getting convictions, things like that.

Halpern: Hybrid task forces are located in a dozen states and plans are in the works to add more. With FBI, This Week, I’m Mollie Halpern of the Bureau.

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