Texas
North Texas Interdiction Unit fighting drug and human trafficking in Grayson County
MCKINNEY, Texas (KXII) – On Tuesday, the North Texas Interdiction Unit held a press conference at the Collin County Sheriff’s Office in McKinney to share its achievements over the past six years.
Grayson County Sheriff, Tom Watt, and Collin County Sheriff, Jim Skinner, teamed up in 2017 to combat drug and human trafficking on US Highway 75.
“A lot of people think of I-35 as the main drug corridor,” Watt said, “The cartels use 75, we know from research that they prefer 75.
After the two saw success in their partnership, six other Texas sheriffs joined to expand the fight to other North Texas highways.
In 2018, the North Texas Criminal Interdiction Unit began operations made up of deputies from Collin, Grayson, Hunt, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Smith, and Wise Counties.
Since then the unit has seized $7.9 million in hidden cash, 7,913 lbs. of marijuana, 6,048 lbs of methamphetamine, and 103 lbs. of fentanyl in addition to rescuing three abducted children and making over 570 felony arrests.
While the unit is made up of deputies from the different counties they are uniformed as one unit.
“What we decided to do is to work together is to take deputies to dress them identically, to put them in cars without a county name on it but the label of cars as sheriff’s criminal interdiction units,” Skinner said.
Watt said the NTXCIU deputies have undergone specific training that goes beyond writing tickets.
“It’s about what are you seeing in the car?” Watt said, “What are you seeing in the restaurant that just doesn’t match up to what the person is purporting as their reality?”
The North Texas Criminal Interdiction Unit is the first of its kind in the state but leaders have encouraged parts of Texas and the country to start similar units.
Sheriff Watt helped start the unit and when he retires at the end of the year, the next sheriff, Tony Bennie, will take over.
“I don’t think we’ll skip a beat at all,” Watt said.
Watt said the NTXCIU has reduced the number of criminals traveling US Highway 75 without being caught and expects this number to continue decreasing.
Copyright 2024 KXII. All rights reserved.
The Texas Longhorns entered the 2025 season with more expectations than any team has had to deal with in recent memory.
Many among the media were ready to crown the team and quarterback Arch Manning before they even played one game. Of course, those unrealistic expectations were never met, even though the team finished with a 10-3 record and a Citrus Bowl win over the Michigan Wolverines.
2026 is heading in the same direction for the Longhorns. Many believe head coach Steve Sarkisian has the most talented team in the country. But in order to fix the issues from this past season, the Longhorns needed to fix one issue that has cost them in the past.
Changing The Narrative
One of the biggest issues the Longhorns had last season was the play of the offensive line. It was apparent in the first game of the season against the Ohio State Buckeyes that Manning didn’t have the pocket time needed to make big plays.
This offseason, Coach Sarkisian went out and found two massive transfer portal additions that should completely change the narrative on this offensive line.
It starts with potential starting right tackle Melvin Siani. Siani has spent time with the Temple Owls and last season with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The Longhorns are set at left tackle with Trevor Goosby, who could play himself into being a top 10 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. If the team can get competent play from Siani, the offense will be able to open up the playbook, and the world may finally see Manning at his college peak.
The Longhorns also went out and found a potential fix at left guard for the 2026 season. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers transfer Laurence Seymore could be another strong patch for the holes in the offensive line.
After spending the first two seasons of his college career with the Miami Hurricanes, Seymore made stops with the Akron Zips and the Hilltoppers.
Of course, the one concern with Seymore is wondering if he can compete at the SEC level coming from the C-USA.
This season for the Longhorns starts and stops with the play of Manning. Coach Sarkisian and the rest of this coaching staff understood that protecting their quarterback was the most important goal when building the 2026 roster.
The Longhorns are going to be leaning on veteran talent to protect their quarterback, and it may very well be the best decision they made this offseason.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
-
Los Angeles, Ca1 hour agoSouthern California hits hottest day of its extreme heat warning
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoSteve Yzerman out as Detroit Red Wings GM, moves to senior advisor role
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoSupervisors urge California to expand S.F. speed-camera program
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoFive teens injured after crashing carjacked vehicle during Dallas police chase
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoTokyo-style Neapolitan pizza is coming to Miami, led by legendary pizzaiolo chef Bun
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoSEE THE GOOD: Roxbury center reminds young adults ‘You got this’ – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News
-
Denver, CO2 hours ago
Five Points affordable housing building honors Dr. Justina Ford | Rocky Mountain PBS
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoSeattle weather: Hot and sunny day Wednesday, highs in the 80s
