SENATE MEMORIAL 107

52nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2016

INTRODUCED BY

Richard C. Martinez

A MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING UNITED STATES DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION SPECIAL AGENT MICHAEL S. VIGIL AND HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

     WHEREAS, Michael S. Vigil served as a special agent for the United States drug enforcement administration for thirty-one years and is considered a legend within the agency for his dangerous undercover exploits; and

     WHEREAS, Special Agent Vigil was one of the most highly decorated agents and worked in foreign countries for eighteen years and was the first American made an honorary general in Afghanistan; and

     WHEREAS, Special Agent Vigil also was given the key to the city of Shanghai and made an honorary admiral by the Dominican Republic; and

     WHEREAS, Special Agent Vigil received a national association of police organizations' "top cops" award, the most prestigious award in law enforcement, with only ten recipients receiving the award annually out of thousands of submissions nationwide; and

     WHEREAS, Special Agent Vigil risked his life in undercover operations in which he penetrated some of the most powerful and violent drug cartels in Mexico, Colombia and other countries; and

     WHEREAS, Special Agent Vigil reached the highest levels of the senior executive services and served as the special agent in charge of the Caribbean and San Diego drug enforcement administration divisions; and

     WHEREAS, Special Agent Vigil was made the drug enforcement administration's chief of international operations, in which he was responsible for all personnel offices worldwide, including Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, Africa and Southeast Asia; and

     WHEREAS, Special Agent Vigil was responsible for several multinational operations, the largest of which involved thirty-six countries; and

     WHEREAS, after the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Special Agent Vigil initiated operation containment, a heralded and dynamic initiative that included twenty-five countries, including Russia and China, which is still funded by the United States congress today; and

     WHEREAS, Special Agent Vigil is also responsible for the development of global centers for drug intelligence that allow most countries in the world to collect and share valuable information in the international campaign against illicit drugs; and

     WHEREAS, Special Agent Vigil has been featured in numerous books, including Kings of Cocaine; The Last Narco: Inside the Hunt for El Chapo, the World's Most Wanted Drug Lord; The Black Hand; La DEA en Mexico; Con La Muerte En El Bolsillo; A Dying Breed; Queenpins; and others; and

     WHEREAS, Special Agent Vigil is the author of a highly acclaimed book, Deal, that recounts his dangerous career as an undercover agent for the drug enforcement administration; and

     WHEREAS, Special Agent Vigil is considered a renowned international expert on drug trafficking and terrorism and regularly appears on the Cable News network, the Fox News channel, Telemundo, Univision, Al Jazeera, the National Broadcasting company, the American Broadcasting company and the Columbia Broadcasting system; and

     WHEREAS, Special Agent Vigil has been featured in articles by the Associated Press, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time Magazine, GlobalPost, the Economist, the Los Angeles Times, the New Yorker, the Houston Chronicle and numerous international newspapers; and

     WHEREAS, Special Agent Vigil is also a contributor to the prestigious Cipher Brief; and

     WHEREAS, Special Agent Vigil has been cited as a hero to the country of Afghanistan and the entire region; and

     WHEREAS, Special Agent Vigil is an internationally renowned expert in counter-drug operations, is recognized for his strategic planning and multinational operations and is highly respected by many nations of the world; and

     WHEREAS, Special Agent Vigil is a proud son of New Mexico, born and raised in the Espanola valley and a graduate of New Mexico state university; and

     WHEREAS, patriotism runs deep in the Vigil family, as Special Agent Vigil's father was a survivor of the Bataan death march and was held as a prisoner of war for three and one-half years;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that United States drug enforcement administration Special Agent Michael S. Vigil be recognized for his patriotic service to the United States, his many contributions in the fight against illicit drugs and his global assistance to other countries in the international campaign against illicit drugs; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to Special Agent Michael S. Vigil.

- 4 -