EL PASO, Texas ( Border Report )– Faced with migrant smuggling in the north desert, illegal logging to the north and hill towns under assault by drug traffickers, Chihuahua state officials are seeking support from below.
In the state police’s new Air Security Division, they are hiring pilots to pilot five surveillance and rescue helicopters and instructing staff to operate 75 drones.
Gilberto Loya, the director of Chihuahua Public Safety, stated on Monday,” We are excited to announce this new public safety tool.” The aircraft are already operating, with the addition of two brand-new helicopters. We were able to locate and ( disperse ) a caravan of vehicles headed ( to towns )”.
Residents of Valle de Allende in the Western Sierra Madre reported a shootout between rival groups last Saturday, which the air units were also busy with. A burned-up Volkswagen Jetta and hundreds of 7.62-caliber bullet casings, according to the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office, were discovered by police.
Loya said the new helicopters are Bell 429 models. They can carry up to seven passengers and travel at speeds of 180 miles per hour, according to trade websites. The cost runs between$ 5 million and$ 6.4 million and cost$ 1, 075 an hour to operate, according to Global Air.
The state police chief said that the information collected from the air will be shared with other government organizations that fight organized crime, such as the Mexican Army and the National Guard. The aircraft also will be involved in searches, such as migrants missing or abandoned in the desert, Loya said.
