The sheriff and his deputies in Jackson, a rural county two hours south of Houston, have been fighting an unprecedented level of cartel crime with a multi-agency Operation Lone Star Task Force led by Goliad Sheriff Roy Boyd.
“I’ve told you this before, the Biden administration created an unmitigated disaster,” outgoing Jackson County Sheriff Kelly Janica told The Center Square, repeating his 2022 border crisis warning. Highway 59 through Jackson County transports cartel members, people and drug smugglers to and from Houston.
After retiring to lead the sheriff’s office after decades in public service, Janica was one of the inaugural OLS task force members.
At Janica’s final retirement party, he and new sheriff Rick Boone discussed the OLS Task Force’s achievements with The Center Square.
One of the best things to happen to Texas in my tenure was Operation Lone Star.”
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has helped catch fugitives, human and drug smugglers, and recover stolen cars and contraband. Janica was one of the first to expose alleged traffickers shipping unlawful foreign individuals with fresh U.S. passports and long-term court dates.
The Center Square exclusively reported that his officers had detected 18-wheeler and large human smuggling operations. Three years into the border crisis, Janica and Wharton County Sheriff Shannon Srubar, the “last two links in the enforcement chain on U.S. 59,” praised OLS.
Sheriffs said border-related crime in the county isn’t new. Since I joined law enforcement, there’s been a trickle. Janica reminisced about the 1970s. “But 2022, 2023 it just exploded.”
The difference is that counties received funding from Gov. Greg Abbott’s OLS, sponsored by the Texas legislature.
“59 being a drug corridor, we never got any help,” Janica claimed. We never got a task force activity in these little counties.” He claimed late 1980s attempts. Congressmen visited Jackson County to “show them what the problem was.” We never received funding.”
OLS “is the first operation put together by a coalition of sheriffs,” Janica said, thanks to Abbott, the legislature, and Boyd.
Janica is handing over the torch to Rick Boone, who was overwhelmingly elected sheriff. Boone was 19 when Janica employed him. Since then, Boone has held practically every sheriff’s office job, including chief deputy and Edna’s police chief. Boone helped find the alleged killer of an Edna high school cheerleader who was stabbed to death on Dec. 5, 2023. A Mexican illegal border crosser was indicted for her murder. February brings his capital murder trial.
Boone said OLS officers helped him as his law enforcement team was investigating and tracing the alleged killer to another county. Sharing resources improved school safety and operations, he added. The availability and MOUs allow us to work together as goal-oriented officers. It’s helpful.”
The task group has 52 agencies across dozens of counties.
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