Operation Lone Star Arrests Drug Smugglers, Seizes Millions In Drugs

Office of the Texas Governor | Greg Abbott | Press Release

Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard continue to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas; and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal activity between ports of entry.

Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 525,300 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 48,300 criminal arrests, with more than 41,700 felony charges. In the fight against the fentanyl crisis, Texas law enforcement has seized over 552 million lethal doses of fentanyl—enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States and Mexico combined during this border mission.

Texas has decreased illegal crossings into the state by over 86% due to our historic border security mission. Fewer illegal crossings into Texas means fewer migrants to transport to sanctuary cities. Since the start of Texas’ transportation program, the state has transported:
•    Over 12,500 migrants to Washington, D.C. since April 2022
•    Over 45,900 migrants to New York City since August 2022
•    Over 36,900 migrants to Chicago since August 2022
•    Over 3,400 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022
•    Over 19,200 migrants to Denver since May 2023
•    Over 1,500 migrants to Los Angeles since June 2023

Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps created by the federal government’s refusal to secure the border. Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to open border policies.