Inside Cartel Operations in Arizona with Former SWAT Commander Matthew Thomas

About this episode

Andy Stumpf interviews former SWAT commander Matthew Thomas about cartel operations in Arizona and the complexities of law enforcement against them.

On this episode of Change Agents, Andy Stumpf talks with Matthew Thomas about cartel operations in Arizona, how cartels recruit members in the U.S., the brutality of cartel operations and more. Matthew Thomas is a retired Chief Deputy at the Pinal County Sheriff's Office in Arizona, where he led the regional SWAT team for 18 years. He frequently went undercover during anti-cartel operations. He is the author of “Interceptors: The Untold Fight Against the Mexican Cartels.” Chapters: (01:29) The Operation to Take Out El Mencho (06:37) Pinal County’s Role in the Cartel Wars (12:02) The State of Border Security (16:43) Tunnel Systems Run by Cartels (22:38) Going Undercover to Fight Cartels (32:37) U.S. Citizens Working for Cartels (36:06) Sicario vs. Rip Team Battles (47:41) Cartel Members Getting Military Training (52:06) Cartel Human Trafficking Operations Sponsors: Firecracker Farm Use code IRONCLAD to get 15% off your first order at https://firecracker.farm/ GHOSTBED: Go to https://www.GhostBed.com/IRONCLAD and use code IRONCLAD for an extra 15% off sitewide. Norwood Sawmills: Learn more about Norwood Sawmills and how you can start milling your own lumber at…

People in this episode

Host: Andy Stumpf

Guest: Matthew Thomas

Topics covered

• cartel operations
• law enforcement
• border security
• human trafficking
• undercover operations
• military training

Keywords

• cartels
• SWAT
• Arizona
• undercover
• border security
• human trafficking
• military training
• El Mencho
• Pinal County

Sponsors

Firecracker Farm, GHOSTBED, Norwood Sawmills

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pinal County Sheriff's Office

Books & works: Interceptors: The Untold Fight Against the Mexican Cartels

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