Whitewater Faces Drug Trafficking Issue Linked to Cartels

Law enforcement officers from Whitewater and Walworth County were called to the attention of an issue the community is experiencing. Drug trafficking, an issue linked to the ongoing illegal immigration situation, has been linked between Whitewater and drug cartels. Law enforcement have also discussed the increased activity among cartels, drug trafficking and public safety.  During a roundtable meeting in Whitewater City Hall, hosted by Sen. Ron Johnson and Rep. Bryan Steil, on Nov 10th, there were officers from the Walworth county sheriff’s department, and surrounding town departments. Whitewater officers laid down some of the guilt for some of the crime they have been seeing, which has included a rise in drug-related crimes based off of the Biden administration’s immigration policies. Immigration policies put in place to have set laws and regulations that would be able to be used to address issues that arise. Reviewing these policies at the round table were to provide an analysis to community members on how the appearance of drug cartels in rural areas is causing some suffering in cities across the state.  According to NBC15, “I do think that it is important to note in all of this, there is no intent to vilify any individual group of people,” Whitewater Police Chief Daniel Myers said. “The goal of bringing this issue to the forefront is to make sure the public is aware of it.” This is set to be the main concern, as keeping this a secret would cause issues in the future.  Police have reported nearly $250,000 being uncovered that have been sent into drug cartels that are across borders. This money and its carriers are native to Central America including migrants from Nicaragua and Venezuela.  “I think in particular we have an opportunity as we look for funding for Ukraine to tie that with the border,” said State Representative Bryan Steil. “I think that’s our best opportunity to force the Biden administration to come to the table to actually secure the U.S./Mexico border.” Although Whitewater is a small town, and Walworth County is a larger area of land, stopping these from occurring is the first step to get the higher up senates to understand this impending issue.  Both Johnson and Steil spoke about the House and Senate looking at taking action on the issue of cartel money being found in suburban Wisconsin. These individuals are confident that both chambers will be able to pass measures in order to keep the government operating.  “The solution is to secure the border. The good news is we know how to do it. The bad news is we have a president that wants an open border,” said Johnson.  There are efforts that are being done in a different way, but “the drug unit investigators are continuing to work on drug cases in the Whitewater area,” stated Walworth County Sheriff Dave Gerber. The main reason they are continuing to keep their efforts high is that it is a “way to keep the community safe by doing what needs to be done, and to keep enforcing the drug law,” Gerber said. Law enforcement teams are working day and night to figure out the best way to keep the Whitewater community safe.  The main issue right now is a big part of drug dealers are being controlled in larger cities in Mexico and those cities are economically based on these trades. With an open border, people are more easily bringing the problem into the United States. To find more information, contact the Walworth County sheriff’s department with any tips, information, or questions on the matter.