A Homeland Security official says Operation Black Jack along the border with Mexico is working.

William Reid with Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the effort has netted drug and weapons seizures as well as intelligence critical to dismantling warring drug cartels.

The months-old collaboration between Homeland Security and officers on both sides of the border drew attention Thursday in Washington. Reid testified before two subcommittees of the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Operation Black Jack is touted as combining state, federal, and local capabilities.

The violence is blamed on drug cartels battling over a smuggling corridor extending through Nuevo Laredo and then across the Rio Grande to Laredo and Interstate 35.

Laredo Mayor Betty Flores told The Associated Press it's about time the federal government worked with local agencies. She hopes the collaboration will continue.