Monday, October 31, 2011

Mexican drug cartels strengthen ties with US gangs

I have previously posted FBI report: "The US Southwest Border region represents a continuing criminal threat to the United States" but this article from the El Paso Times gives you a view of local impact.

Mexican drug cartels are strengthening alliances with gangs in the United States beyond ethnic, ideological and geographic boundaries, warns a new report from the federal National Gang Intelligence Center. The gang-cartel link is most prominently seen in El Paso between the Barrio Azteca gang and the Juárez drug cartel, but similar alliances are emerging in various parts of the country, according to the 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment. "Federal, state and local law enforcement officials are observing a growing nexus between the Mexican drug cartels, illegal alien smuggling rings and U.S.-based gangs," the study stated. "Ties have grown between them, and it is all because of money and drugs," said Sgt. Alberto Telles of the El Paso County Sheriff's gang intelligence squad. "Both the Barrio Azteca and Sureños have established ties (with cartels) to get cheaper prices on drugs. Sheriff's officials said there were 68 confirmed Barrio Azteca members and 31 Sureño members last week at the El Paso County Jail Annex. Numbers fluctuate as inmates are released from or arrive at the jail. Rival gangs are kept separated to avoid trouble...more

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