DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – So far this year, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has arrested at least a dozen Mexican cartel members in the area.

However, Captain Mike Brem says the arrests have not made a difference on the cartel’s drug trade business.

“The fact is, the market is flooded. So, for us to say we’re making a huge difference on the supply chain – not really,” said Brem.

Brem has worked for the sheriff’s office for 23 years. He says in his career this is the worst it has ever been.

“We’re at the hotels, we’re at the airport and we’re on the highways. We’re looking for those indicators, those are the ports that they come in with,” said Brem.

Their business is pushing drugs like heroin, a billion-dollar industry that the region is at the heart of. With the rising demand for opiates in the Miami Valley, Brem says cartel members are calling Dayton home.

“It’s scary. I tell people and I talk to my kids constantly about the dangers of drugs, addiction and how it can flip your life around,” he said.

We told you in May the two biggest cartels in the region are the Mexican Mafia and cartel kingpin El Chapo’s group, Sinaloa.

Brem says his office is working to corner them into certain areas to cut off their supply.

“We’re not going to stand for it and we’re going to push them back,” he said.