FBI: Texas drug cell trains on own ranch

Houston Chronicle ^ | May 19, 2009, 7:53PM | DANE SCHILLER

[cbkaty]

FBI is advising law enforcement officers across the country that a Texas cell of Los Zetas — an increasingly powerful arm of the Mexican Gulf Cartel drug trafficking syndicate — has acquired a secluded ranch where it trains its members to “neutralize” competitors in the United States.

[TChris]

“It very well could be true, but as far as us having a location for the ranch, it is all conjecture,” said Webb, who believes it is more likely they train in Mexico than Texas. “If we had any hard evidence, we’d be all over it.”

Of course, GETTING that hard evidence is someone else's job, right? Once someone else does the heavy lifting and hands you an air-tight case, you'll get right on it?

[AuntB]

“The Los Zetas are the Al-Qaeda of Mexico. Very nasty.”

But....there were only 5 beheadings last week in Mexico!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2254208/posts

[La Lydia]

I’m thinking Uvalde County, Presidio, Val Verde, around Laredo. There are numerous places in Texas where the Zetas could have an entire ranch and no one would notice. South Texas is already a Third World hell hole of a country that gets generous U.S. taxpayer subsidies.

[AH_LiveRight]

“If we had any hard evidence, we’d be all over it.”

Except we are busy trying to umm, err, "invest" some of this money we found. And the Mayors son is kind of dating this little Mexican Blackbird, and those donations to the church really make a difference.

[cspackler]

South Texas is already a Third World hell hole of a country that gets generous U.S. taxpayer subsidies.

You must not be familiar with the same South Texas that I am.

[deport]

Nope, no evidence whatsoever.

---

You are correct in what you enumerate. I think the DPS officer was referring to the training activities, jmo.

snip
As for whether the organization has a training ranch in Texas, Webb said there have long been rumors, but he is not aware of hard evidence.

[La Lydia]

The trouble is I am way too familiar with it, and in particular, the public corruption. I also dislike the welfare mentality of many of its newer “citizens.” El lugar esta chingado. And it’s too bad, because there are some beautiful places there, the food is wonderful, and the climate is the kind I like.

[wolfcreek]

There was a *rumor* going around the county I was raised about an old couple who owned a ranch that happened to have an airstrip.

Supposedly one night, an airplane landed and a group of men from the plane approached the couple, offing them money to use their airstrip.

At first the couple was wanting the men to leave or they would call the sheriff. Then these men drew their weapons and demanded the couple take the money and keep quite.

The men were from some drug cartel and used the couple's ranch for several months. The couple has kept quite to this day.

[deport]

Probably more money being handed over than the couple ever thought of making from their ranching activies..... I don’t know how much can be easily smuggled in with today’s technology when applied. I think it used to be fairly easy for the off shore boats to bring it in also. I seen stories of some Drug Agencies that monitor the coast now but don’t much about their procedures.

I see either the DPS or some county drug agents every once in a while with 18 wheelers pulled over searching the trailer and quite often with SUVs/cars being searched and the baggage from them lying on the side of IH-10.

[wolfcreek]

I-35 @ Round Rock, TX.

These cops know how to ruin a drug smuggler’s day. Pretty much EVERY day.