AST Digital Magazine July/August 2016 | Page 67

Volume 6 David Shaw, special agent in charge for San Diego HSI “HSI is committed to working with its law enforcement partners to pursue and dismantle drug smuggling networks that distribute narcotics on the streets and spread violence in our communities,” said David Shaw, special agent in charge for San Diego HSI. “This investigation uncovered a gang-affiliated drug smuggling ring that extended from Mexicali to Imperial, San Diego, and Riverside counties. I commend the outstanding collaborative effort by all of the agencies involved in this enforcement action.” Most of the defendants made their initial appearances in federal court Friday. According to the indictments, unsealed Friday, some of the defendants are felons who were in possession of firearms and had ties to criminal street gangs. The maximum penalties for the charges alleged in the indictments range from 10 years to life in prison. HSI special agents say this week’s arrests are indicative of a growing trend along California’s southern border involving drug traffickers’ increasing reliance on body carriers. Earlier this month, a 24-year-old Tijuana man identified during a separate HSI probe was sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison after admitting he was paid by a drug smuggling organization to recruit body carriers, including minors, to smuggle heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine from Mexico into the U.S. at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Josue Lomeli was taken into custody by HSI special agents at the San Ysidro Port of Entry May 31, 2015, on a federal arrest warrant charging him with various drug smuggling offenses. Lomeli also admitted he was at a Tijuana residence when narcotics were secured to the individual’s bodies, and that most of the people involved wore loose fitting clothing to further conceal the drugs. July-Aug 2016 Edition Municipal Public Safety Departments Turn to Kinetic Mesh Wireless Networks By Marty Lamb and Don Gilbreath Don Gilbreath is head of Media Services, Rajant Modern municipalities tackle many obstacles, ranging from small, like keeping pigeons off a statue of the town founder, to large, like maintaining and upgrading infrastructure – all within budgets that get tighter every year. According to Rand, “Many state and local governments are facing significant fiscal challenges, forcing policymakers to confront difficult trade-offs as they consider how to allocate scarce resources across numerous worthy initiatives.” Public safety should not be one of those trade-offs, and finding affordable technologies that help keep citizens safe is a goal for local governments across the country. As public safety and security technologies continue to advance, some municipalities are turning to a wireless network called Kinetic Mesh. Kinetic Mesh has been implemented in such rugged environments as mining, military, and oil and gas operations. Many wireless networks use static infrastructure like access points, towers or wireless routers, while the people and vehicles on the network are always on the go; in Kinetic Mesh, 67