Mexican Drug Cartel Allegedly Puts a Price on Arizona Sheriff's Head

[Guest FroggyOne2]

Mexican Drug Cartel Allegedly Puts a Price on Arizona Sheriff's Head

$1M offered for Arpaio, $1K to join cartel

Updated: Monday, 02 Aug 2010, 6:51 PM MDT

Published : Thursday, 29 Jul 2010, 6:48 PM MDT

• Adapted for the Web by
  myFOXPhoenix.com Staff
  

PHOENIX - He's been at the center of the discussions and controversies surrounding illegal immigration enforcement in Arizona for quite a while.

On the day parts of Arizona's immigration law, SB 1070, went into effect, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is in the news for another reason: there's a price on his head - allegedly offered by a Mexican drug cartel.

The audio message in Spanish is a bit garbled, but the text is clear.

It's offering $1 million for Sheriff Joe Arpaio's head and $10,000 for anyone who wants to join the Mexican cartel.

A man who wants to remain anonymous says his wife received the text message Tuesday evening. It also included an international phone number and instructions to pass the message along.

"She showed it to me..I was kind of disgusted..I reported it to the Sheriff's department yesterday..they said they were going to direct the threat squad on it."

Lisa Allen of the Sheriff's office says they believe the message originated in Mexico.

Although the Sheriff has received numerous death threats in the past, they believe this threat is credible because of its timing.

"Arpaio gets threats pretty routinely, but obviously with this heightened awareness of his role in the immigration issue we've got to take this one a little bit more seriously with a million dollar contract out on him," said Allen.

But she says what really concerns investigators is how quickly the message may have been spread. "It's going so many different places that our folks are looking at it and thinking well at any given point in time it could land in front of some crazy person who thinks I can do that."

As for Arpaio's reaction to the threat, "It's a little bit like water off a duck's back for him, but you never know if it's that sense of false bravado with him..you just can't read it, I'm sure he's concerned, I'm sure he's concerned for his family more than anything else," said Allen.

The Sheriff's office says investigators are trying to trace exactly where the text message came from, but because it did originate from an international number, that will be difficult too.

[Smith]

Yeah, he shouldn't have been so aggressive. I can see the spin now. Some how he will be the bad guy.

[daddyo]

And you know you can hold the Mexican drug cartel to its word.

[Guest jackdm3]

Is it $1K or $10K? It'll probably be paid in bam bam.

[Kenstaroni]

Shouldn't this be considered a terrorist threat? When is this adminstration going to put aside thier agenda and do what they have sworn to do and protect this country? Arpaio has no doubt recieved threats in the past. I expect him to hold strong and steady and not be effected by this recent threat.

I bet if the cartel put a bounty on someone in the administration it would get their attention.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

It is a terrorist threat. and if a member of one of those cartel thugs are caught in

this country, they should be shot on sight. No trial, nothing. Arpaio is definitely the good guy

but, like smith said, he will be painted as the bad guy.

[memphismason]

Troops being pulled from the middle east and stationed at our borders sounds good to me.

[daddyo]

Seems like a couple of air strikes one afternoon would take care of the problem...

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Border Security compliments of Fairchild--

[daddyo]

Or just send Chuck Norris down there to clean house.

[mikegideon]

Seems like a couple of air strikes one afternoon would take care of the problem...

I wish

[Chucktshoes]

Border Security compliments of Fairchild--

THIS.

[dralarms]

THIS.

That would do it. Those are mean sonofabitches. We had them while I was stationed at Sembach Germany. They would come in flying about 25 ft off the ground as wide open as they could. A10 "WArthog" Gotta love em.

[greenego]

Helluva state of affairs. AZ's borders are a disaster due to Feds. not enforcing laws. AZ passes a law to try to relieve problem. Feds sues AZ. Now a public official is being threaten by the a group that the Feds. won't protect border from. Someone please tell me, what country do I live in? :D

[Garufa]

Someone please tell me, what country do I live in? :D

The Twilight Zone.

[vontar]

If Mexico does not straighten up, maybe we should call to create a new republic like we did with Texas.

[dlm37015]

not worried about sheriff joe look at his background with dea he has been under threat most of his life

[Guest TargetShooter84]

Agreed with DaddyO and toss in Obama into the mix and we're good.....