THE MOB MUSEUM PRESENTS BORDER INSECURITY: THE MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS AND THEIR THREAT TO AMERICA, SEPTEMBER 23, 5:30 P.M
Panelists Include Acclaimed Investigative Reporter Chris Blatchford, Special Agent Sylvia Longmire and Journalist Timothy Pratt
LAS VEGAS (August 2014) – Contemporary organized crime serves as the focus of “Border Insecurity: The Mexican Drug Cartels and Their Threat to America,” to take place at The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, on September 23. Tickets for the event are priced at $25, with a 10 percent discount for Museum members. A reception begins at 5:30 p.m. followed by the program at 6:30 p.m.
The panel discussion, to be held in the Museum’s historic courtroom, will feature three experts on the topic: Chris Blatchford, award-winning investigative reporter; Sylvia Longmire, former Air Force officer and special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations; and Timothy Pratt, prominent journalist on Hispanic issues in the Americas. Topics to be covered include current violence in Mexico, the presence of Mexican drug cartels in the United States, the impact of those cartels on law enforcement and the effect on U.S. borders.
About Chris Blatchford
A lauded investigative reporter for Los Angeles’ KTTV Fox 11, Blatchford is most widely known for his work exposing the destruction and sorrow left behind by street gangs, prison gangs, and organized crime. His exposés on 18th Street, the Mexican Mafia, Aryan Brotherhood, Nazi Lowriders, Mexican and Colombian drug cartels, Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs, Russian and Asian organized crime—to mention just a few—are used nationwide as educational and training tools by schools, correctional institutions, law enforcement and community groups.
Blatchford is the only Los Angeles investigative reporter in history to receive a Peabody which was awarded for his investigation into Mafia infiltration of MCA/Universal’s music and home video divisions. He has also uncovered multi-million dollar contract abuses in the aerospace industry and exposed food stamp and welfare fraud.
He is a frequent guest speaker for law enforcement organizations and for panels on gang issues sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice. He is the author of two L.A Times Bestsellers: “The Black Hand,” an unprecedented inside look at the Mexican Mafia, and “Three Dog Nightmare,” a painful look at the realities of drug addiction. “The Black Hand” was also listed on the New York Times Top 10 list for best crime books of the year.
About Sylvia Longmire
As an Air Force officer and special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Longmire specialized in counterintelligence, counterespionage and force protection analysis. After being medically retired in 2005, Ms. Longmire worked for four years as a senior intelligence analyst for the California State Terrorism Threat Assessment Center, providing daily situational awareness to senior state government officials on southwest border violence and significant events related to the drug war in Mexico.
She received her master’s degree from the University of South Florida in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, with a focus on the Cuban and Guatemalan revolutions. She is an award-winning columnist for Homeland Security Today magazine, contributing editor for Breitbart Texas, was a guest expert on the History Channel’s “Brad Meltzer’s Decoded” and has consulted for the producers of National Geographic Channel’s “Border Wars” and “Drugs, Inc.” series.
Longmire is regularly interviewed by national, international, and local media outlets, including Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, BBC News, CBC and Al Jazeera English for her knowledge and expertise on border violence issues. Her first book, “Cartel: The Coming Invasion of Mexico’s Drug Wars,” was published in September 2011 and was nominated for a Los Angeles Times Book Prize., Her next book, “Border Insecurity: Why Big Money, Fences, and Drones Aren’t Making Us Safer,” was published in April 2014.
About Timothy Pratt
Pratt has worked throughout the Americas, for most of the hemisphere’s largest English- and Spanish-language print media, reporting and writing on the vital issues and subjects of the day: public money, unemployment, poverty, immigration, the War on Drugs, healthcare, education, science and the arts, North-South relations—and futbol!
His stories have appeared in The New York Times magazine and newspaper, the Las Vegas Sun, The Economist, the Times of London, TIME, Associated Press and Reuters, Colombia’s El Tiempo and El Espectador, as well as many other dailies and magazines. He has contributed chapters dealing with the history of Hispanics in Nevada and in Las Vegas, respectively, to two books.
His work has been recognized with state, regional and national awards, as well as fellowships to numerous conferences; he has also served as a judge for national journalism awards for the Education Writers Association. In addition, he has been sought as a speaker and panelist by organizations ranging from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists to the World Affairs Council.
Pratt has also clocked in as a translator/interpreter (Spanish-English), Spanish and English teacher, copy writer, editor, research analyst and blogger.
Space is limited. To make reservations, call (702) 229-2734 or log on to https://themobmuseum.org/archives/2011/12/11/tuesday-september-23-border-insecurity/.
ABOUT THE MOB MUSEUM
The Mob Museum is a world-class destination in downtown Las Vegas dedicated to the thrilling story of organized crime and law enforcement. It presents an exciting and authentic view of the Mob’s impact on Las Vegas history and its unique imprint on the world. True stories of Mob history are brought to life in a bold and contemporary style via engaging exhibits, high-tech theater presentations and more than 600 artifacts, the largest collection of Mob and related law enforcement memorabilia under one roof.