Examiner.com

Source: myfoxphoenix.com

The so called “America’s toughest sheriff” has never been secretive about the many death threats he continuously receives. He also has said that is not afraid. It just comes with the territory -we might think, but now he may be forced to take some extra precautions as a supposed Mexican drug cartel –the Juarez cartel- has offered to pay $1 million to whoever does the favor.

It's offering a million dollars for Sheriff Joe Arpaio's head and offering a [ten] thousand dollars for anyone who wants to join the Mexican cartel," said a young man who chose to remain anonymous.

The frightened male said his wife received the offer in a text and a voice message -both in Spanish, Tuesday evening, which also included an international phone number and instructions to be forwarded.

She showed it to me...I was kind of disgusted...I reported it to the Sheriff's department yesterday...they said they were going to direct the threat squad on it."

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office believes the message originated in Mexico and said investigators are trying to trace exactly where the text message came from. What really concerns investigators is how quickly the message may have been spread as the monetary incentive is a factor to take this threat a little bit more seriously. The FBI is already involved in the investigation.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been surrounded by controversy related to accusations of abusing power, his defying attitude toward the federal government and his tactics to handle the fight against illegal immigration, which ultimately, could be the reason for cartels to put a price on his head.

On July 16, Arpaio launched his 16th crime and immigration sweep in a stretch of desert in the southwestern U.S.-Mexico border, and ordered the deployment of a powerful belt-fed .50 caliber machine gun to be on site during the operation.

In that occasion, Arpaio said in a statement that he is not afraid, but well prepared to face drug traffickers.

I want to send a message to these criminal traffickers that we will not be intimidated by reports claiming that traffickers are better equipped than our law enforcement officers […] we have the machine guns too and we will not hesitate to use them if the situation calls for it."

 Watch below the local TV report on this story.