US gangs now answer to Mexican cartels, Texas sheriff says
EL PASO, Texas – A curious thing happened when Mexico’s Gulf cartel began distributing cocaine in some South Texas counties. Local criminals who took pride in their toughness and independence suddenly found themselves answering to the cartel in their own turf.
“The presence of Mexican cartels in the United States has changed how domestic organizations function. Street gangs, motorcycle gangs and other domestic criminal organizations have all been relegated to the status of mere contractors and subcontractors,” said Goliad County Sheriff Roy Boyd. “As such, they are beholden to act as commanded by their masters.”
In Victoria and surrounding counties in South Texas, only cartel authorized dealers – namely the Houston chapter of the Mexican Mafia – could distribute and sell high-purity cocaine. All other dealers had to dilute their product by 50 percent or face consequences, Boyd said.
The Gulf cartel then sent “undercover” buyers to test the purity of the product of independent dealers. Some people received warnings; others began to disappear, the sheriff said.
“In total, our contacts on street advised that at least 10 dealers had refused to dilute their product and disappeared. Only one family went public and sought justice for their son. We never found him nor his remains,” Boyd said.
The veteran lawman recently testified at a U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing that the Mexican cartels about a decade ago took over control of migrant smuggling at the Texas-Mexico border. No migrant enters the country without paying a cartel tax, and being smuggled to jobs in the interior of the United States leaves each of them with a long-term debt that basically turns them into indentured servants, he said.
“As part of that obligation, those people have to be willing to provide labor and other services to pay their debt. Some will pay that money over eight to 13 years; some will pay the debt by smuggling other illegal aliens; some will move illegal aliens and drugs from one area of the interior (of the United States) to another. Others will be placed into forced prostitution or be called upon to provide material support to the unloading or moving of drugs in the areas where they reside,” the sheriff said.
One way to protect migrants from being abused by cartels in the United States and to stop the spread of cartel activity here is to rigorously enforce immigration laws, the sheriff said.
His testimony came during a contentious hearing in which Republicans like U.S. Sen. John Cornyn decried the attacks and animosity against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents trying to enforce those laws. Democrats like U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, of California, called the hearing “political theater” and demanded accountability from ICE agents he says are acting with excessive violence and even detaining American citizens during “chaotic” immigration raids.
“Why are we here? Are we here truly to conduct oversight and find ways to improve the situation and public safety in our communities? Or are we here simply to throw more fuel in the political fire?” Padilla asked.
Cornyn said Wednesday’s was not the first nor will be the last congressional hearing on immigration and public safety, but added that this one was needed given rampant “disinformation” being spread on social media and liberal media.
2 comments:
I am surprised that Goliad County has an Anglo sheriff.
The Cartels have already taken over. The corner drug dealer is no longer your neighbor's kid who made Crack in his Mom's oven. The drugs coming in are pure and deadly. Nobody is stepping on drugs any longer. The old time gangs were infiltrated years ago.
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