Florida and The Burmese Python I LOVE FLORIDA!
Gregory Kielma • April 30, 2024
The Tail and Truth of the Dreaded Burmese Python
Man Wins Thousands After Ridding Everglades of Very Invasive Snake Species
The Tail and Truth of the Dreaded Burmese Python
©Source: Conservancy of Southwest Florida Discussing the environment is an easy way to discover which way someone leans politically, as well as their feelings about the planet.
Invasive species are animals and plants that are introduced to an environment they are not native to, which then become overpopulated and harm their environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and economic damage.
Invasion of species into long-established ecosystems is a natural phenomenon, but human-facilitated introductions have greatly increased the rate, scale, and geographic range of invasion over time. This began with their earliest migrations, accelerating in the Age of Discovery, and then accelerating again with international trade.
Not all invasive species are immediately obvious to the layperson. An obvious example of an invasive species would be the European rabbit in Australia, where rabbits proliferated rapidly after their introduction in the 18th century, and currently cause millions of dollars’ worth of damage to crops.
On the other hand, house cats are also considered an invasive species, which many people now believe to be a standard part of everyday life. Invasive species are not always harmful in the way that many people consider harm, but they are almost always displacing and disrupting the environment that they’re introduced to, meaning that they need to be dealt with.
In Florida, invasive species are particularly important to deal with considering the delicacy of the wetland ecosystem. Wetlands are an important environment that need to be protected as the planet slowly grows hotter, and preserving natural ecosystems and animal systems are an important part of that.
The Burmese python is an invasive species in the area, which unfortunately is an apex predator. This means that, once the animal reaches adulthood, there are very few other predators that can attack it to manage its natural population, meaning that the burden of population control falls on humans.
The Burmese python is a species of snake that is native to Southeast Asia. It was introduced into Florida going back as far as the 1930’s, and was first sighted in the Everglades National park in the 1990’s. It wasn’t until 2000 that they were recognized as a reproducing population there, and since then, the population of pythons in the Everglades has exploded.
These pythons are a particularly insidious breed of invasive snake in Florida. They can grow up to twenty feet long and weigh up to 200 pounds, meaning that there are very few natural predators for the reptile. They prey on a wide variety of birds, mammals, and crocodilian species in the area, and since their proliferation, there have been pronounced declines in several mammalian species in the area.
Because the Burmese python has few natural predators in the area, the Florida government has had to come up with different methods to try and control the population of snakes in the area, with limited success.
Part of the problem around trying to control the populations of this animal is the fact that many of the habitats that the Burmese python inhabits are inaccessible to humans. This means that animal control groups have had to get creative with their efforts.
One of these efforts is called the Florida Python Challenge, a statewide hunting competition. This is a challenge that pulls in hundreds of participants every year, competing for the grand prize of $10,000.
Most recently, this top prize was brought home by Tennessee resident, Paul Hobbs. He traveled to Florida with his father, son, and brother-in-law to participate in the challenge, and ultimately captured 20 Burmese pythons during the 10-day hunt.
The Hobbs family tradition of participating in the python hunt started with Hobbs and his father, Tom, who has won the novice category in the event. “As soon as you see one, the adrenaline just kicks in,” Hobbs said in an interview. “You’re all flying out of the vehicle and ready for the ride.”
More than 200 snakes were captured and killed during the hunt, which is a significant win for environmental control efforts. Each female snake can lay up to 100 eggs over the course of its lifetime, which explains how and why the population of snakes exploded in Florida in such a short period of time.
Since 2000, almost 20,000 pythons have been caught and killed in the Sunshine state. This is a mere drop in the bucket of the natural population, though, which is estimated to be as many as 300,000 individuals living in the Everglades alone, according to the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Ron Bergeron, a governing board member of the South Florida Water Management District, said, “It becomes the top of the food chain. We have found a full, whole deer inside of a python - up to a seven-foot alligator.”
The Florida Python Hunt is not the only time that these animals are hunted for the state, though. Contractors who are paid to hunt the pythons year-round have removed 11,000 of the animals since 2017, according to the Miami Herald.
A U.S. Geological Survey report called eradication of the animals “likely impossible,” though. “They’re an apex predator. Essentially when they become adults, there’s really nothing that preys on them,” said FWC nonnative fish and wildlife coordinator, McKayla Spencer.
She continued, “We don’t currently have a way to eradicate them, but in the last few years, we’ve made some great strides. Every python removed is one less python to harm our native species.”
In order to compete in the Florida Python Hunt, participants must complete a training course. These are dangerous predators, and people cannot sign up to engage with them willy-nilly. Individuals are disqualified if they kill a native snake, or if they inhumanely kill a python. The goal is population control in this contest, not animal cruelty or further environmental harm.
The Everglades is a 2 million-acre subtropical wetland, which once featured uninterrupted flowing water over an area that was nearly four times as large as it is today. It’s an important environment for many species, and preserving it is a top priority for many environmental agencies in the South, and specifically in Florida.
Controlling the local population of Burmese Pythons is merely one way that environmental agencies are seeking to restore the natural beauty of the Everglades. Other efforts include the $1 billion Kissimmee River restoration project. These efforts prove how important the Everglades is to environmentalists, and it’s clear that the goal is help restore the American wetlands to some semblance of their former glory.
Daniel Driscoll ATF Leader Mark Chesnut TAG We reported in early June on the Trump Administration plan that would merge the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) into one “super” enforcement agency. At the time, some pro-rights organizations, including the Gun Owners of America (GOA), were sounding the alarm about what group leaders believed could be a dangerous thing for America’s lawful gun owners. Rather than abolishing the ATF, as the organization has called for, GOA believes this plan would strengthen the embattled agency, famous for persecuting lawful gun owners and gun sellers, giving the group more power than ever before. At the time the proposed merger was discovered, the organization quickly threw up a red flag. “BREAKING. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has ordered DOJ to come up with a plan to potentially merge ATF and DEA,” the group stated in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “This would be a DISASTER for gun owners and the Second Amendment.” On May 30, when the proposal was solidified, GOA again took to X to again sound the alarm about the potential negative ramifications of the merger. “The White House just officially proposed merging ATF and DEA,” the group posted. “Just imagine: 3x ATF budget, 4x ATF tactical units, 10,000-plus new employees, reduced oversight and accountability. Merging is NOT abolishing, it’s a DANGEROUS Trojan Horse.” Now, the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) has joined GOA in voicing its opposition to what it calls a “dangerous” merger. “The DOJ’s dangerous proposal would consolidate the ATF and DEA into an authoritarian ‘super-agency’ with the combined powers to wage the failed war on drugs and enforce unconstitutional federal gun control laws against all Americans, not just violent criminals and drug cartels,” FPC said in a recent press release. “By merging the ATF’s firearms enforcement authority into the DEA, the DOJ is effectively equating peaceable American gun owners with drug cartels, turning millions of law-abiding citizens—as well as their constitutionally protected weapons—into co-equal targets of a militarized federal enforcement regime.” According to the FPC, the organization has provided many proposed reforms to the White House, DOJ and ATF, all of which would improve the lives of law-abiding Americans as well as access to rights and instruments protected by the Constitution. FPC believes that rather than creating massive new problems for gun owners, the DOJ should instead focus on implementing these proposed reforms, stop engaging in anti-Second Amendment litigation and prosecutions and support important Second Amendment challenges in the courts, especially the United States Supreme Court. “We absolutely support the repeal of the unconstitutional federal gun control laws that underpin the ATF’s existence,” said FPC President Brandon Combs. “We very much look forward to the day the ATF is subsequently abolished. And we are proud to be working with the Trump Administration on efforts to remove federal regulations and red tape that separate Americans from the arms of their choosing. “But merging the ATF with the DEA is a massive leap in the wrong direction. The Trump Administration and Congress should reject this dangerous proposal and stop the deep state from digging in deeper.”
Texas Bans Red-Flag Laws Darwin Nercesian To no surprise, the legislative session in Texas this year has ended on a high note for real Americans living in the state who value naturally bestowed freedoms recognized by the United States Constitution. Despite efforts from the left to thwart Foundational values, and by efforts I mean dishonesty and hyperbole designed to manipulate the public into embracing their subjugation, lawmakers have established a preemption measure prohibiting red-flag extreme risk protective orders (ERPOs) from being used to seize privately owned firearms and block Second Amendment rights without due process of the law. Senate Bill 1362 was signed into law over the weekend of June 21, as Texas Governor Greg Abbott addressed approximately 600 pieces of legislation on his desk prior to the Sunday veto deadline. The law, which goes into effect on September 1, is known as the Anti-Red Flag Act and is a vital measure meant to protect Texans from the true purpose of such orders, which are nothing more than a conduit to abuse and disarm Americans under the guise of protecting them from being a danger to themselves or others. Not having committed a crime, however, how is it possible to forcibly remove an individual’s private property, especially firearms and firearm rights protected under the Second Amendment, without getting into some sketchy Minority Report-style civil rights violations? It isn’t possible, and it’s unfortunate that we need to pass these laws in a country that has all but forgotten the Foundational preemptions already built into the Constitution. S.B. 1362 prohibits both the adoption and enforcement of most types of ERPOs, protecting Texans from unjust confiscations and the removal of rights without having been granted due process. If you think this feels redundant, given that the Constitution already states this, your feelings are correct. But what good is a law without any teeth behind it? Texas legislators addressed this with the imposition of criminal penalties and jail time for any attempt to enforce such an order outside of criminal proceedings, and in the case of existing domestic violence protection orders. In addition, the bill prohibits Texas entities from entering into agreements to accept federal funds that Democratic administrations have previously used to bribe states and municipalities into adopting red-flag laws, highlighting a provision that renders any federal emergency protective order laws unenforceable in the state if they violate the Second Amendment. Republican Representative Cole Hefner sponsored S.B. 1362 with one thing on his mind, arguably that which should be the defining principle of any duly elected official: preserving and defending the rights of his constituents. “We don’t need magistrates or judges determining, without due process, someone’s Constitutional rights,” said Hefner. Hefner can afford to keep it short and sweet because his disposition on the matter is cogent, based in logic and reason, and is entirely supported by the Constitution. Meanwhile, in the realm of uncompelling arguments, Nicole Golden, executive director of Texas Gun Sense, spouted off about red-flag laws eroding due process as “misinformation,” exposing herself as part of the subversion regime that continues to insult American intelligence by claiming these ERPOs take due process into account, which they do not by their very own definition. “If you look at other states’ bills, they’re built specifically with those protections in mind,” Golden lied. But that’s just the tip of the Democrat manipulation iceberg, as Darrell Miller, a “Constitutional law scholar” at the University of Chicago Law School, demonstrates with his inept critique of the consequences that arise from violation of the new law. “Laws [like S.B. 1362] not only tell cities and local governments that they can’t have a different policy from the state; they say, ‘If you have a different policy, we’re going to make it a crime to do so,’” said Miller. With people like Miller being touted as “Constitutional scholars,” it’s no wonder Chicago has fallen to corruption and criminal violence. What is the point of a Constitution if it can be modified or completely negated by cities and local governments? Furthermore, I’d love to ask this charlatan if he’d support the amendment of other provisions in the Bill of Rights at the state and local levels. Imagine driving across a state with a library of handbooks just to keep up with the law in each traversed municipality. Imagine driving into a rural county and being arrested for exercising freedom of expression that the local government has decided is no longer acceptable. But Miller isn’t out of his mind. He’s just a shill who takes his marching orders like the good little brown shirt he is. Miller also takes issue with the fact that violation of the law does not come without consequences, including convictions, fines, and time behind bars, calling it “very disturbing” and referring to the provision as “punitive preemption,” accusing conservative lawmakers of wielding the threat against liberal strongholds, otherwise known as leftist dumpster fire cities. “It essentially criminalizes ordinary political differences,” says Miller. The pot and the kettle are so muddled for this guy that I doubt he could make himself a cup of tea without accidentally drowning in his own BS. This familiar dance is a staple of the leftist diet, which requires useful idiots to deflect their own subversive maneuvers by accusing conservatives of the very behaviors that liberals are engaged in. It is the left that seeks to criminalize the Constitutionally protected behavior of law-abiding citizens every day based on arbitrary metrics, like magazine capacity, barrel length, and other inconsequential factors drummed up for no other reason than to reign down government tyranny upon those with whom they disagree politically.
Tucson Man Arrested for Selling Devices to Convert Glocks into Automatic Firearms Wednesday, July 2, 2025 U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona TUCSON, Ariz. – Damien Jax Schaffer, 45, of Tucson, was arrested on June 24, 2025, by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) special agents, and charged by criminal complaint for Engaging in the Business of Dealing in Firearms without a License and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm. Schaffer appeared in court today for his initial appearance. According to the complaint, from May 8, 2025, through June 24, 2025, ATF monitored Schaffer and learned that he had manufactured and sold 15 illegal machinegun conversion devices. These devices are used to allow semi-automatic firearms, like Glocks, to expel more than one projectile with a single press of the trigger, effectively converting a semi-automatic firearm into a machinegun. Machinegun conversion devices are required to be registered with ATF in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. After learning of Schaffer’s activities, ATF agents queried that record and determined that his devices were not registered to anyone. Agents also learned that Schaffer does not possess a federal license to sell firearms. This case was part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. ATF is conducting the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson is handling the prosecution. CASE NUMBER: 25-MJ-09160 RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-109_Schaffer # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news. Contact Public Affairs Esther J. Winne Telephone: (602) 514-7740 esther.winne@usdoj.gov Updated July 2, 2025
TALLAHASSEE MAN SENTENCED FOR CARRYING A GLOCK SWITCH Thursday, July 3, 2025 U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Jimmy Bender, 19, of Tallahassee, Florida was sentenced to 24 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to possessing a machinegun. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. According to court records, officers with the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD), Violent Crimes Response Team, were patrolling in the southeastern portion of Tallahassee due to complaints of criminal activity in the area. A TPD officer observed Bender commit a traffic violation and then stopped the vehicle. As the officers removed Bender from the vehicle, they discovered a Glock.40 caliber handgun with extended magazine. The handgun was also equipped with a machinegun conversion device, or “Glock switch,” which unlawfully enabled the firearm to shoot multiple rounds with a single trigger pull. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the hard work of our brave state and federal law enforcement partners, our community can rest easy knowing this dangerous individual has been removed from our streets. Criminals considering carrying an illegally converted machinegun should know my office will aggressively fully prosecute.” The conviction and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the TPD Violent Crimes Response Team and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric Welch. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html. Contact United States Attorney’s Office Northern District of Florida USAFLN.Press.Office@usdoj.gov X: @NDFLnews Updated July 3, 2025
ATF NEWS: SCAMS…Beware Wednesday, July 2, 2025 ATF Warns Public of Scam Involving Fraudulent Calls Calls from a Martinsburg Number Claiming to be an “ATF Officer” or “Agent” Washington, D.C. – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is alerting the public to a scam involving fraudulent phone calls from individuals claiming to be “ATF Officers” or “Agents.” These scammers, using phone numbers appearing to originate from Martinsburg, West Virginia, are instructing victims to purchase Apple gift cards in amounts of $500 or $1,000 to “clear a red flag” from their accounts. Victims are then asked to provide gift card numbers to the callers. The ATF emphasizes that these calls are not legitimate and is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which is actively investigating this scam. The public is urged to exercise caution and avoid sharing personal or financial information with unsolicited callers. ATF Will Never: • Call or email private citizens to demand payment or threaten arrest. You will not be asked to wire a “settlement” to avoid arrest. • Ask you to use large sums of your own money to help catch a criminal. • Request you send money via wire transfer to foreign accounts, cryptocurrency, or gift/prepaid cards. • Call you about “frozen” Social Security numbers or to coordinate inheritances. How to Protect Yourself: • Do not share personal or financial information with unsolicited callers or emails. • Verify the legitimacy of any contact claiming to be from a government agency by calling official numbers listed on agency websites, such as www.atf.gov. • Report suspicious calls to the ATF at 1-888-ATF-TIPS (1-888-283-8477) or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. • If you have been a victim of this scam, contact your local law enforcement immediately. ATF enhanced its websites by adding a prominent disclaimer to outline what ATF will never do, reinforcing public awareness and protection against scams. For more information or to report suspicious activity, contact your local ATF field office or visit www.atf.gov/contact/submit-a-tip. ATF is the lead federal law enforcement agency with jurisdiction involving firearms and violent crimes, and enforces criminal and regulatory laws involving bombs, explosives, and arson. More information about ATF and its programs is available at www.atf.gov. For more information, contact ATF Public Affairs Division at liaison2@atf.gov.
'Doing her best': ICE agents mass-arrest illegal employees at 'family-owned' manufacturer in North Carolina Andrew Chapados July 02, 2025 Dozens of employees were detained by ICE over federal crimes like identity theft. The Donald Trump administration has clamped down on illegal employment, and it seems the simple enforcement of existing law has been enough to cripple businesses relying on undocumented labor. It was only for a brief moment that the administration showed leniency to employers in the farming, hospitality, and restaurant industries, with a Department of Homeland Security memo telling Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in June to put raids on those industries on the back burner. However, the White House quickly ended any such leniency and reversed the policy just days later. The result has been a steady flow of employers getting a lesson in hiring practices and the consequences of illegal labor. 'She's just at work doing her best at what she can do.' Homeland Security Investigations and ICE executed a search warrant last week and found dozens of illegal workers employed at what is likely considered a reputable business in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, population 11,142 as of 2020. Sign up for the Blaze newsletter. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content that may sometimes include advertisements. You may opt out at any time. Buckeye Fire Equipment Company was the target, a fire extinguisher and fire-protection product manufacturer that boasts itself as "family-owned and operated" and "made in the U.S.A. since 1968." It turned out many of Buckeye's employees were not family members after federal authorities arrested 30 people on site as a result of their initial investigation. According to an ICE press release, the operation specifically focused on allegations of aggravated identity theft and "potential federal crimes." Employee Eric Pinion shared video from inside the raid to local outlet Queen City News and told the news station the facility was "half empty" and "dead silent" when he went in for his shift after the raid. Pinion also said he was afraid, despite being a citizen, because he had heard that citizens had been apprehended by ICE previously; he did not get arrested. Family members of those who were arrested were reportedly spotted picking up cars from the Buckeye parking lot, with one employee's daughter saying her parent is a "single mother, [who is] trying to raise two kids on her own." "She's just at work doing her best at what she can do," the young woman told Queen City News. Her mother was later released after a few hours of being detained. RELATED: After ICE removes illegal workers, job applicants flood meatpacking plant to replace them HSI said it will continue to pursue those who exploit financial and identification systems for their personal gain, which it says "fuels a range of criminal activity." Blaze News reached out to Buckeye Fire Equipment Company for comment on the story as well as how the company plans on replacing its staff. The company's LinkedIn page lists it as having between 201 and 500 employees, with ZoomInfo stating there are 278 employees. If the latter is correct, Buckeye will have to replace about 11% of its staff with legal workers. Recently, a Nebraska company lost upwards of 76 employees to a federal raid but immediately had its waiting room filled with potential employees, putting a dent in the long-fabled claim that American workers do not want to take on certain jobs. Buckeye Fire Equipment Company did not respond to a request for comment. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
A security guard brandished a deadly assault weapon at the store entrance making me extremely uncomfortable. How can I get this individual out of a job in under 24 hours? Thoughts From Jim Clayton “Brandish” - it is the legal word for show. It could apply to almost anything a person reveals to another by way of showing it to them, but it is largely used to describe the producing of a weapon, and despite some folk’s impression, brandishing can also be the innocent showing of a weapon to another as in, “Hey Gregg, check out my new fancy 2011 pistol,” although the term is far more heavily applied to the potentially illegal showing of a weapon. First, unless the security guard is a member of the military or an elite counter-terrorism squad, the weapon IS NOT an assault rifle, ya damned dolt! God this is tiring! What you more than likely saw was a semi-auto, magazine fed rifle. Secondly, unless you enter a very, super secure facility - power station, armored car company, gov’t facility, Area 51 - I think you’re lying through your teeth. I have been to a lot of places and seen a lot of things and I have NEVER seen a security guard - or anyone for that matter, serving in any official capacity - carrying a magazine fed scary black rifle. I’ve seen folks carrying them at gun shows and if I open any one of my four-gun safes, I’ll see a shit-pot load of them sleeping comfortably, but I have never seen one in public with one in any official capacity, police excluded. As for how you can cause them to lose their livelihood and possibly destroy one’s life, I hope you choke, and I hope no one in the vicinity knows the “Hiemlick” maneuver. I hope it’s a long, drawn-out event. How many times can your life pass before your eyes? To wish to attempt to ruin the life of another American citizen all for the sake of your soy boy sensibilities is as low as one can go. Will this get deleted because it does not comport to all the social niceties? Yeah, if so, I’ll just change around a word or two and post it back up, so don’t bother. I’m not here to give a Goddamned rat’s ass as to your precious sensibilities. Grow up…maybe when your testicles drop, you’ll be somebody, but I have my doubts!
Is the FBI salvageable? Here's what bureau insiders have to say Rebeka Zeljko July 01, 2025 'Not everything is a narrative. Not everything has a quick fix.' Americans sent a clear message to the swamp after President Donald Trump swept all seven swing states and secured the popular vote in November. Since then, the MAGA base was promised an administration staffed with change agents eager to uproot the political establishment in Washington, D.C. The winning streak continued after Kash Patel was successfully confirmed to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation alongside Deputy Director Dan Bongino, both of whom have been allies to the president. Patel and Bongino also shared a common mission going into the FBI: The status quo isn't working. 'If you embarrass that community, you will be ostracized.' Now five months into Patel's tenure, several former agents and FBI whistleblowers described how their optimism has faded into disappointment. "Kash Patel and Dan Bongino both used to consistently call for dismantling the FBI, or at minimum, for a massive restructuring of it," one FBI whistleblower told Blaze News. "The latest revelations only bolster the position that the FBI has become a secret police organization. Yet, there has been no mention of the criminal charges against FBI employees involved in this gross miscarriage of truth and justice. There has been no mention whatsoever of any form of punishment for those involved." Sign up for the Blaze newsletter By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content that may sometimes include advertisements. You may opt out at any time. "Like most of the FBI's known corruption, cover-ups, and illegal activities in recent years, these revelations began with yet another whistleblower," he added. "Only then did the FBI 'leadership' discover how deep the corruption surrounding this election interference was. Still, no whistleblower has been vindicated, reinstated, promoted, or provided back pay and damages under the 'new' FBI." Other whistleblowers like Marcus Allen share this sentiment, saying the bureau is beyond help. "Attempts to salvage the FBI are a fool's errand," Allen told Blaze News. "Its reputation is damaged beyond repair. It has lost the public trust and proven itself to be an enemy of the American people and rightfully elected American governance." Allen previously worked in the FBI's Charlotte field office before he was abruptly put on unpaid leave for challenging the official narrative surrounding the January 6 protests. After being branded a conspiracy theorist, Allen was eventually given his security clearance back by former President Joe Biden's administration and was awarded back pay as part of a settlement with the FBI. Allen later resigned from the bureau. "They know when they have been abandoned," Steve Baker, investigative reporter for Blaze News, said. "When they speak out, that goes against the culture of the FBI. It goes against the intelligence community at large. If you embarrass that community, you will be ostracized." Clint Brown, who worked closely alongside Patel during his Senate confirmation process, pushed back on critics, noting that Kash has been heading the bureau for only five short months. “Kash is an extremely methodical person and very strategic,” Brown told Blaze News. “He is going to work through everything methodically and in the right way. Not everything is a narrative. Not everything has a quick fix. We’re living in the real world.” "The former leadership may have tarnished it’s own reputation, but they’re the institution that exists to catch the bad guys, and they still have to do that while fixing the place," Brown added. While continuing to "catch the bad guys," Patel has also lead the popular crusade against former Director Christopher Wray, which many current and former agents have championed. Patel announced Tuesday that the bureau uncovered evidence of Wray lying to Congress about China's involvement in influencing the 2020 election. These findings also detail how the agency "recalled" a report that contradicted Wray's testimony under oath to Congress denying China's involvement. "There are a dozen other people that we could put in the perp walk parade," Baker told Blaze News. "But the guy that needs to lead the parade is Christopher Wray." This evidence is just the latest piece of a larger puzzle implicating the former FBI leadership for working to influence the 2020 election. Whether it's coordinating with social media monopolies like Facebook to promote one party over the other or censoring the bombshell Hunter Biden laptop story, all signs suggest the FBI was involved. "To date, this is unequivocally the worst example of FBI election interference," Steve Friend, another FBI whistleblower, told Blaze News. "The Steele dossier and censorship of the Hunter Biden laptop were abhorrent attempts to smear Donald Trump's reputation and deter voters from his camp. However, this latest revelation that the FBI covered for a foreign adversary to stuff ballots for Joe Biden strains all bounds of credulity and requires an honest conversation about whether the FBI should be dissolved." "Disgraced FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate knew this," Phil Kennedy, a whistleblower and former FBI agent, said in a post on X. "He was the executive who allegedly said, 'FBI employees who question the bureau's handling of January 6-related cases can seek employment elsewhere.' He helped hide the crime and then imprisoned Americans demanding answers." Patel has also led a broader effort to decentralize D.C.'s influence in the bureau and empower local field offices to continue doing the day-to-day work that impacts communities. “As far as reforms in the FBI, there’s been a restructuring in the organization, and it’s still ongoing," Brown told Blaze News. "Agents have been moved out to the field, and this is all part of reorganizing the FBI over the long term and doing it methodically.” While some former agents believe that the new leadership is a step in the right direction, other whistleblowers say the bureau remains unchanged, forever being driven by the status quo. "The FBI has demonstrated an unwillingness and inability to understand the complexities of corruption within the FBI writ large and the simplicities of emergent national security and public safety threats," one whistleblower and former DHS employee told Blaze News. "The new FBI deputy director has told Americans this is 'our FBI,'" Kyle Seraphin, another FBI whistleblower, told Blaze News. "It turns out, 'our FBI' is the same FBI it was last year: deceptive, duplicitous, and functioning on operational morality. The FBI serves the FBI, polishes the reputation of the FBI, and exists to prop up the legend of the FBI. Americans can see the results — promises without production, press releases instead of probable cause to arrest, and backroom document deals instead of disinfecting sunshine. The status quo is 'cutesy time,' and it is unquestionably continuing." Although critics insist the culture remains unchanged, Brown says Patel was the right choice to push for a change. In order to successfully restore integrity to the bureau, Brown argues that Patel needs both time and trust from the rank-and-file agents. "Kash is the guy that exposed the 'Russia, Russia, Russia' hoax," Brown told Blaze News. "He did it methodically, and the president knows that." "The other thing is he picked the guy who’s going to relate to the brick agents," Brown added. "Trump’s philosophy, whether it’s FBI or DOD, he said the same thing about Pete Hegseth, is that he wants people who are doing the job to feel like they have a leader who understands them. So Kash has to earn trust within the FBI, while having to expose, methodically, while also having to catch bad guys, to reform the FBI. Without their trust, they’re not going to follow your leadership to fix things.” The FBI did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
BLAZE MEDIA Hey there, Here at Blaze Media, and around HQ, we’ve been calling this Fourth of July “No Kings Day” because that’s what Independence Day really is. Fireworks and cookouts are fun and all, but this holiday is more than that. 249 years ago, we rejected the idea of a monarchy, elites, and unaccountable power, and said we’d be ruled by, “We the People.” This week we’re inviting you to make a similar stand. Reject fake news, bothersome bias, and legacy media. Say “no” to the propaganda being pushed by unaccountable elites and say “yes” to truth that’s being courageously told no matter who it offends. This week, we’re making it especially easy to say “yes,” by doing something that we’ve NEVER done before by offering you, , a 7-day FREE trial of BlazeTV+. That means FULL ACCESS to every show, every documentary, every unfiltered voice we’ve got, completely free for one week. It’s your chance to celebrate true freedom with us, support honest media, and decide for yourself what’s worth watching. So if you’ve ever wanted to join BlazeTV+, now’s your chance. No risk. No kings. No nonsense. Simply truth. Celebrate The TRUE No Kings Day (Independence Day) the way the Founders would’ve wanted — by choosing truth over tyranny.
Law Enforcement Seize Record Amounts of Illegal Drugs, Firearms, and Drug Trafficking Proceeds in International Operation Against Darknet Trafficking of Fentanyl and Opioids; 270 Arrested Across Four Continents For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs Today, the Attorney General and the Department of Justice’s Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) team, and international law enforcement partners announced the results of Operation RapTor, including the arrests of 270 dark web vendors, buyers, and administrators in Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Operation RapTor resulted in the highest number of seizures of any JCODE operation, including more than $200 million in currency and digital assets, over two metric tons of drugs, 144 kilograms of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced narcotics, and over 180 firearms. Operation RapTor was a global, coordinated effort by law enforcement in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia to disrupt fentanyl and opioid trafficking, as well as the sales of other illicit goods and services, on the darknet, or dark web. Operation RapTor builds on the successes of prior years’ operations and takedowns of marketplaces, which resulted in the seizure of darknet infrastructure from Nemesis, Tor2Door, Bohemia, and Kingdom Markets, providing investigators across the world with investigative leads and evidence. JCODE and Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) continue to compile intelligence packages to identify entities of interest. These leads allow U.S. and international law enforcement agencies to identify darknet drug vendors and buyers, resulting in a series of coordinated, but separate, law enforcement investigations, reflected in the statistics announced today. In furtherance of Operation RapTor and in its first action as a JCODE member agency, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) additionally sanctioned Iranian national Behrouz Parsarad for his role as the founder and operator of Nemesis Market following seizure of the market. Parsarad was also indicted by a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Ohio on drug trafficking charges related to the illegal business he ran on the dark web. “This historic international seizure of firearms, deadly drugs, and illegal funds will save lives,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “Criminals cannot hide behind computer screens or seek refuge on the dark web – this Justice Department will identify and eliminate threats to the American people regardless of where they originate.” “By cowardly hiding online, these traffickers have wreaked havoc across our country and directly fueled the fentanyl crisis and gun violence impacting our American communities and neighborhoods. But the ease and accessibility of their crimes ends today,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The FBI could not do this work without our partners both at home and abroad, and the staggering success of this year's record-breaking amount of fentanyl, guns, and drugs seized prove that our efforts are working. Anyone looking to anonymously harm our citizens through illicit darknet trafficking: your days of recklessness are numbered.” “These predators who peddled poison on the dark web might have thought they are untouchable — hiding behind screens, pushing fentanyl, fueling overdoses, and cashing in on misery. However, Operation RapTor just proved them wrong,” said DEA Acting Administrator Robert Murphy. “DEA and our global partners reached across borders, across platforms, and across currencies to rip their networks apart. Let this stand as a warning: no mask, no marketplace, and no digital wallet can hide you from facing justice.” “Operation RapTor shows that the dark web is not beyond the reach of law enforcement,” said Head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, Edvardas Šileris. “Through close cooperation and intelligence sharing, officers across three continents identified and arrested suspects, sending a clear message to those who think they can hide in the shadows. Europol will continue working with our partners to make the internet safer for everyone." “This unprecedented operation is a testament to the power of global partnership and the unwavering dedication of our team,” said Chief Guy Ficco of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). “Working through the JCODE initiative, IRS Criminal Investigation and our international partners led the largest and most impactful takedown to date—seizing over $200 million in assets, removing deadly drugs and weapons from circulation, and holding more than 270 individuals accountable. This critical strike against dark web networks fueling the fentanyl crisis marks a proud moment in our ongoing effort to protect communities worldwide.” “This record-breaking operation sends a clear message to every trafficker hiding behind a screen—your anonymity ends where our global reach begins,” said Acting Director Todd Lyons of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “Thanks to the unwavering efforts by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Europol and our international partners, we’re cracking the code of the so-called ‘safe spaces’ for cybercriminals—they are in our sights and we’re not backing down.” “Operation RapTor shows what’s possible when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and our partners around the world stand united,” said Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale of the United States Postal Inspection Service. “No matter where criminals hide, we will find them, dismantle their operations, and bring them to justice. This operation was about protecting innocent people from predatory criminals who profit from violence, addiction, and fear. Our commitment is unwavering.” “The FDA is committed to continuing its work to disrupt and dismantle the illegal sales of drugs on the dark web, where such sales far too often have tragic consequences,” said Deputy Director Chad Menster of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA OCI). “We will continue to monitor, investigate and bring to justice those who misuse the internet in a quest for profits with reckless disregard for the risk to public health and safety.” The impact of Operation RapTor can be attributed to the tireless work of U.S. and international law enforcement partners. For example: On Dec. 16, 2024, Rui-Siang Lin pleaded guilty to charges brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York of narcotics conspiracy, money laundering, and conspiracy to sell adulterated and misbranded medication for owning and operating Incognito Market, one of the largest narcotics marketplaces on the internet. According to court documents and statements made in court, Incognito Market was an online narcotics bazaar that started on the dark web in October 2020. Until it shut down in March 2024, Incognito Market sold more than $100 million of narcotics—including hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine. Incognito Market was available globally to anyone with internet access using the Tor web browser on the “dark web” or “darknet.” Incognito Market was designed to facilitate seamless narcotics transactions, incorporating many features of legitimate e-commerce sites such as branding, advertising, and customer service. Upon visiting the site, users were met by a splash page and graphic interface, which is pictured below: While concealing their identities with a unique username or “moniker,” users were able to search thousands of listings for narcotics of their choice. Incognito Market sold illegal narcotics including heroin, cocaine, LSD, MDMA, oxycodone, methamphetamine, ketamine, and alprazolam, as well as misbranded prescription medication. An example of listings on Incognito market is below: Listings included offerings of prescription medication that was falsely advertised as being authentic. For example, in November 2023, while operating in an undercover capacity on Incognito Market, a law enforcement agent purchased and received several tablets purported to be oxycodone. Testing revealed that these tablets were not oxycodone and were, in fact, fentanyl pills. The FBI, HSI, DEA, FDA OCI, and the New York Police Department investigated the case. In a second example, in January 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California secured a 17-year sentence for Adan Ruiz, of Orange County, and a 15-year sentence for Omar Navia, of Los Angeles, for supplying fentanyl-laced pills to a drug trafficking ring that sold these drugs to more than 1,000 customers nationwide via the darknet. In imposing the sentences, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter called this case “the most sophisticated fentanyl distribution ring that this court has seen.” Navia and Ruiz admitted in their plea agreements that, from at least August 2021 to December 2022, they supplied fentanyl-laced pills to Michael Ta, 26, of Westminster, and Rajiv Srinivasan, 38, of Houston, who used the darknet and encrypted messaging applications to sell more than 120,000 fentanyl-laced pills, 20 pounds of methamphetamine, and other drugs directly to more than 1,000 customers in all 50 states, causing several fatal overdoses. According to court documents and statements made in court, Srinivasan and Ta used the “redlightlabs” darknet account to advertise and sell counterfeit M30 oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and other illicit drugs. Srinivasan also used the encrypted messaging application Wickr to communicate with and sell drugs to customers. Srinivasan received virtual currency as payment for the drugs and then routed that virtual currency through cryptocurrency exchanges. The court record also shows that Ta communicated with Srinivasan about drug orders, obtained fentanyl-laced pills and methamphetamine from sources of supply, stored those drugs in his residence, and mailed out packages with drugs to customers who had ordered them from Srinivasan on the “redlightlabs” account. Ta and Srinivasan admitted in their plea agreements to causing the fentanyl overdose deaths of three victims. Both defendants further admitted to distributing fentanyl-laced pills to two additional victims, both of whom suffered fatal drug overdoses shortly after they received the pills from Ta and Srinivasan. Prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum, “The five victims of defendants’ crimes ranged in age from 19 to 51. They lived across the country, from California to Florida, Colorado to Arkansas. Each of the five victims leaves behind a family that has been forever and fundamentally changed by defendants’ actions. [Ta and Srinivasan] also victimized countless others as part of an epidemic of addiction and despair plaguing our district and our country.” The FBI investigated this case, with substantial assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the DEA’s Fayetteville Resident Office, and the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force. In a third example, in February 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia charged Joshua Vasquez, Joseph Vasquez, and Rafael Roman by criminal complaint with conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Joshua Vasquez, Joseph Vasquez, and Roman conspired to sell counterfeit Adderall containing methamphetamine on darknet markets such as Bohemia and Tor2Door. The defendants allegedly sold drugs on darknet marketplaces in exchange for cryptocurrency under the monikers “NuveoDelux,” “Mrjohnson,” and “AllStateRx.” According to court documents and statements made in court, these three prolific darknet vendors were collectively responsible for fulfilling over 13,000 drug orders shipped throughout the United States, ranging in size from user quantities, e.g., 5 pills, to “reseller” quantities, e.g., 10,000 pills. Joshua and Joseph Vasquez collectively ran the NuveoDeluxe and AllStateRx accounts. A fourth co-conspirator, Gregory Castillo-Rosario, who was arrested in October 2024, ran the Mrjohnson account. Roman assisted his co-conspirators by pressing counterfeit Adderall pills, packaging them, and distributing drug orders into the mail using the U.S. Postal Service. The conspiracy also laundered funds associated with darknet drug proceeds. While executing search warrants in New Jersey and New York, federal law enforcement officers seized more than $330,000, close to 80,000 counterfeit Adderall pills, one firearm, and two industrial pill press machines. Additionally, two vehicles and several pieces of property were seized during the search warrants. An additional 30 kilograms of suspected counterfeit Adderall pills were seized on May 2, 2024, in New York. Photographs of some of the seized items are below: Joshua Vasquez pleaded guilty on April 24, 2024, and was sentenced on July 25, 2024, to 12 years in prison. Joseph Vasquez pleaded guilty on April 15, 2024, and was sentenced on Aug. 8, 2024, to 10 years in prison. Roman pleaded guilty on May 30, 2024, and was sentenced on Nov. 14, 2024, to 10 years in prison. They all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to create a counterfeit substance and distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. The FBI, FDA, and USPIS investigated this matter with significant contributions from DEA, HSI, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, the Howell Township Police Department, the Lakewood Township Police Department, the Orlando Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Arlington County Police Department, and the New York Police Department. In a fourth example, a San Fernando Valley man, Brian McDonald, 23, was sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison in the Central District of California for using darknet marketplaces to sell hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of fentanyl-laced pills and cocaine to buyers nationwide. He admitted in court documents to causing one fatal fentanyl overdose. From at least April 2021 until May 2023, McDonald and others conspired to sell fentanyl and cocaine via multiple darknet marketplaces. McDonald operated under the monikers “Malachai Johnson,” “SouthSideOxy,” and “JefeDeMichoacan.” McDonald created, monitored, and maintained the darknet vendor profiles, including by updating drug listings and shipment options, tracking drug orders, and offloading Monero cryptocurrency received as drug deal payments into cryptocurrency wallets that McDonald controlled. McDonald recruited and hired accomplices to help package and ship the narcotics they sold on the darknet. McDonald directed and helped these accomplices package and ship the narcotics. McDonald purchased bulk quantities of fentanyl and cocaine and then directed others to complete hundreds of drug sales involving large quantities of both fentanyl and cocaine. The FBI and DEA investigated this matter. Operation RapTor involves law enforcement actions taken by JCODE member agencies, including the DEA, FBI, FDA OCI, HSI, IRS-CI, and USPIS. Credible reporting from the referenced agencies, in addition to contributions from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Army Criminal Investigation Division, Customs and Border Protection, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and OFAC, and Naval Criminal Investigative Service, enabled domestic law enforcement actions in support of Operation RapTor. State, local, and other federal agencies also contributed to Operation RapTor investigations through task force participation and regional partnerships, as well as the multi-agency Special Operations Division. The investigations leading to Operation RapTor were significantly aided by support and coordination from the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, with valuable assistance from the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Fraud Section, and Office of International Affairs. Key international partners include Europol; Eurojust; Austria’s Criminal Intelligence Service with various Provincial Criminal Police Departments (Bundeskriminalamt und Landeskriminalämter); Brazil’s Civil Police of the State of Pará (Polícia Civil do Estado do Pará) and Civil Police of the State of São Paulo (Polícia Civil do Estado do São Paulo); France’s French Customs (Douane), National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale); Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt), Prosecutor’s Office in Cologne – Central Cybercrime Contact Point (Staatsanwaltschaft Köln, Zentral- und Ansprechstelle Cybercrime), Central Criminal Investigation in Oldenburg (Zentrale Kriminalinspektion Oldenburg) various police departments (Dienststellen der Länderpolizeien), and German Customs Investigation (Zollfahndungsämter); the Netherlands’ Team High Tech Crime (National Investigations and Special Operations (NIS) and Post Interventie Team (PIT), National Intelligence, Expertise and Operational Support (NIEO); Spain’s National Police (Policía Nacional); South Korea’s Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office – Darknet Investigations Unit; Switzerland’s Zurich Cantonal Police (Kantonspolizei Zürich) and Public Prosecutor’s Office II of the Canton of Zurich (Staatsanwaltschaft II); and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA), National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC). Federal investigations spanned the United States, and 26 United States Attorneys’ Offices are prosecuting cases, including the Central District of California, the Northern District of California, the Southern District of California, the District of Colorado, the District of Connecticut, the District of Columbia, the Middle District of Florida, the Southern District of Florida, the Middle District of Georgia, the District of Hawaii, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of Indiana, the Eastern District of Kentucky, the District of Massachusetts, the Eastern District of Michigan, the Western District of Michigan, the Eastern District of Missouri, the District of New Jersey, the Southern District of New York, the District of North Dakota, the Northern District of Ohio, the Southern District of Ohio, the Northern District of Oklahoma, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Eastern District of Virginia, and the Western District of Washington. The Justice Department established the FBI-led JCODE team to lead and coordinate government efforts to detect, disrupt, and dismantle major criminal enterprises reliant on the darknet for trafficking opioids and other illicit narcotics, along with identifying and dismantling their supply chains. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Updated June 23, 2025
