Where Does All That Seized Money Go?

Boys as young as 13 become smugglers, assassins

(NEWSER) - The powerful cartels that control the drug trade in Mexico increasingly have help north of the border—in the form of American teenagers, some as young as 13, who work as smugglers and assassins. The New York Times profiles one boy, who was recruited by the Gulf Cartel to kill on command along the interstate that connects Laredo to Dallas. "It was like a James Bond game," says Rosalio Reta, 19, who is now serving a 70-year jail sentence. More»

Mexican officials fear even posting Garcia Simental's photo

(NEWSER) - Many of the charred and maimed victims of Tijuana’s recent drug violence bear one similarity: the three-letter marker of Teo Garcia Simental, a shadowy crime boss authorities fear too much to hunt, the Los Angeles Times reports. A kidnapper and extortionist, Garcia operates a network that keeps victims caged until he’s ready to fry them in vats of chemicals, his preferred method of murder. More»

Half of those nabbed in multi-city raids have Mexican cartel links

(NEWSER) - A vast multi-city gang sweep shows the extent to which Mexican drug cartels have penetrated American cities—and, say federal officials, the extent to which the government is willing to go to take them down. Some 678 gang members, including 421 nationals, were busted in 168 cities during Project Southern Tempest, ABC reports. Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities say nearly half of those arrested were linked to Mexican drug gangs. More»

Intra-cartel murder shocks El Paso; feds gave trafficker visa

(NEWSER) - The Obama administration and state governments are spending billions to keep Mexico's escalating drug war from spilling over the border. But the feds fighting trafficking have also relied on Mexican cartel members for intelligence—and that, says the Washington Post, has unleashed gangland-style violence in American cities. Drug kingpins living in the US, often with connections to American law enforcement, are both victims of violence and killers themselves. More»

(NEWSER) - Some 15 vehicles packed with criminals wearing police uniforms arrived at a Mexico prison yesterday to free as many as 59 inmates linked to a drug cartel, reports the BBC. The men convinced guards they were members of the federal police there to conduct an inspection. Once inside, they overpowered the guards and fled with the prisoners. The army and federal police have launched a massive search near the Zacatecas prison facility in north central Mexico to recapture the crooks and their cohorts. More»