Authorities Say Suspects Linked to Zetas Held Up Eight-Liner

Posted: Apr 2, 2012 7:38 PM
Updated: Apr 2, 2012 6:48 PM

OLMITO - Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio just seized a stockpile of weapons and ammo and five alleged Zeta Cartel members are now behind bars.

Deputies arrested the five men. Jose Alberto Fuentes is the only one from the United States. The rest are from Mexico, including Rodolfo Casares. Cameron County's sheriff says Casares was working here in the Valley as a recruiter for the Zetas.

The five were wanted for an armed robbery two weeks ago. Authorities say they were wearing masks when they held up an eight-liner.

Authorities say those masked men came into an Olmito eight-liner. There were 14 people inside. Authorities say they were told to get on the ground. Authorities say the masked men kicked and punched them as their stuff was stolen.

It was a dangerous crime in the middle of no where, yet too close for comfort for an Olmito man.

Ramon, who lives near an eight-liner, asked us to hide his identity after we told him the Zetas were involved. He knows this unassuming grey building where inside 14 people were robbed at gunpoint.

"It's pretty scary. It's pretty scary. You don't know what's going to happen," says Ramon.

For two weeks, authorities hunted these five men. Federal agents joined the search. The group was taken down by sheriff's deputies Saturday with the arrests and seizure of supplies, including a homemade silencer, stacks of ammo, enough communication devices for a family and masks that hide everything but your eyes. Investigators discovered the group was linked to the Zetas.

One man, Rodolfo Casares, is thought to be a recruiter for the vicious cartel. The sheriff says he was living in San Benito organizing drug shipments.

"The violence that has been occurring in Mexico has not permeated here, as far as I'm concerned. Do we have domestic problems here? Yes. Any county, any city that is close to the border is going to have that kind of a problem. That has happened for many, many years," says Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio.

The sheriff says eight-liners like this one need to call for help before things get violent.

"And we've said it before, people that own them don't want to report it because they don't want to scare their customers," says Lucio.

Those 14 customers and the people who live nearby are now on alert. It's an unlucky situation for those 14 victims. Authorities say they have yet to find their personal identification cards.

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