ROMA, Texas - Sounding grim and determined in a tough message to drug-cartels operating on the border of Texas and Mexico last week, DEA Special Agent Lanny Hall had a simple message.
“Enough. We are sending a message to cartel killers that we are on them; we will always be on them, and we’re not letting go,” Hall said to ResonateNews.com on Thursday.
Federal agents from the DEA, ICE and FBI joined forces with Texas Department of Public Safety, Sheriff and local police raiding known hideouts of drug runners in South Texas border towns after U.S. Immigrations and Customs agent Jaime Zapata was killed in Mexico last week.
The raids were part of a coordinated coast-to-coast sweep coordinated by the DEA to announce their presence and persistence to criminal drug gangs that have ravaged Mexican border towns with fear and intimidation. The effect of the violence has spilled over into Texas, Satellite Imagery of U.S./ Mexico border near Laredo, TexasHall said.

“I am continuously amazed at the risks average people take with lengthy prison sentences – 20 years or more – by working for drug cartels for a few hundred dollars by being a mule or dropping off drugs at a stop in the desert,” Hall said. “Most are afraid of being killed or their family being killed if they don’t cooperate once they make an association with a cartel. For them the choice is about survival.”
As cartel violence escalates and cartel chiefs are diversifying their criminal activities to non-drug related goods, the pressure from cartels on citizens along the border is increasing, said a resident of Roma, Texas, about 50 miles east of the border town of Laredo. The sheriff of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico was shot down by cartel killers in February. Along the violent border, three American teenagers were killed in Juarez, Mexico, two weeks ago, just across the border from El Paso, Texas.

   The attitudes of murder and vengeance are increasing said John Peel, who runs the Bethel Mission in Roma, a border town.
   “A middle school teacher recently told me her teenage students cross the border on the weekends and come to class Monday talking about the people they shot in Mexico,” said Peel. “Just 10 years ago, the students talked about the video games they played on Saturday. But crime and violence has now become an accepted way of life along the border.”
   Peel’s parents started the Bethel Mission 60 years ago, helping the needy with food and clothing for decades. He has seen “some pretty sorry situations” in those years, Peel said.
   “But nothing like it is today,” he said. “It’s gotten really bad, especially because of the poor economy. It seems like the only people who have money are the cartels. Our own resources are way down because our supporters across the U.S. have stopped sending financial help. When people get desperate enough, they are vulnerable to be used.”

As cartel violence escalates, and cartel chiefs are diversifying their criminal activities to non-drug related goods, the pressure on citizens along the border is increasing, said a resident of Roma, Texas, about 50 miles east of Laredo. The attitude of violence is increasing, said John Peel, who runs the Bethel Mission in Roma, a border town. Peel visits a Mexican prison weekly, just across the border.

“Violence has become an accepted way of life on the border,” said Peel, “even among young teenagers. A local middle-school teacher told me that just 10 years ago, her students used to come home after a weekend talking about the video games they played all weekend. Now they come to school Monday and talk about who they shot across the border.”

Peel’s father and mother started the Bethel Mission 60 years ago. The mission has been helping with food and clothing to the needy for decades and has seen some sorry situations, Peel said.

“But it’s nothing like today,” he said. “It’s gotten really bad, especially because of the bad economy. It seems like the only people who have money are the cartels. Our own resources have gone way down because our supporters across the state have stopped sending financial help. When people get desperate enough, they are vulnerable to be used.”

Special agent Hall agreed.

“I am continuously amazed at the risks average people take in lengthy prison sentences — 20 years or more — by working for drug cartels for a few hundred dollars, by being a mule or dropping off drugs at a stop in the desert,” Hall said. “Most of them are afraid of being killed or their family being killed if they don’t cooperate, once they make an association with a cartel. For them, the choice is survival.”