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Sheriff Mark Danos: border apprehensions down, local interdiction and search warrants continue
Summary
Sheriff Mark Danos told KWCD that federal border apprehension figures are down and highlighted recent local interdiction activity, including six search warrants served in the Douglas area that led to two arrests; he emphasized ongoing drug and trafficking risks and partnerships with regional and federal agencies.
Sheriff Mark Danos said progress at the border has reduced apprehensions, but local interdiction work and cross-agency investigations remain active across Cochise County.
"Border apprehensions are down 94%," Danos said on KWCD's First Watch, repeating federal figures discussed at a recent border security expo he attended. He cautioned that reduced apprehensions do not eliminate drug smuggling, human trafficking or money-laundering risks.
Danos described a recent operation by the county's criminal interdiction and regional narcotics teams: "They served six search warrants and they got two undocumented people that they arrested as a result of that," he said, adding that many investigations are ongoing and cannot be discussed publicly. He credited cooperation with regional SWAT and federal partners and said some cases extend beyond Cochise County and Arizona.
The sheriff also said Cochise County benefits from partnerships, including those with the Department of Defense, and mentioned state legislative funding for border initiatives. "We have, like, 50,000,000 for border initiatives by the state, legislators," he said, describing the money as supportive of ongoing local operations.
Danos emphasized that while statistics suggest improvement, enforcement must continue. "Our job's done. Let's just turn our back on because we will face that reality again in the near future because as politics shifts in DC, so does the border," he said.
He praised local teams' performance, noting that interdiction and warrant service often open leads to broader investigations. Danos asked residents to stay engaged and credited cooperation across agencies for recent results.
The sheriff's remarks combined federal statistics cited at a national expo with descriptions of local enforcement activity; he framed the county's role as maintaining sustained operations alongside state and federal partners.
