Posted: Aug 05, 2016 5:42 PM PDT
Updated: Aug 05, 2016 5:42 PM PDT

BROWNSVILLE – A man arrested and convicted of sexual assault in Cameron County, was a former drug cartel member and witness for the Mexican government.

Jose Salvador Puga Quintanilla, aka El Pitufo, managed to cross into the U.S. illegally and undetected. An expert on border crime said it showed how ineffective border security policies are.

Quintanilla was once a Mexican drug cartel criminal. But in the U.S., he was convicted of sexually abusing underaged girls.

“Had one of the girls not come forward, it seemed like his next step was to see if he could get them to have sex with other people for money,” assistant district attorney Brandy Bailey said.

The 34-year-old will serve a 35-year sentence without the possibility of early release.

“He didn’t think it was a big deal to offer kids for money, that it was just business,” Bailey said. “That’s how he put it.”

UTRGV associate professor Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera has been researching border crimes for years. She’s not surprised at Quintanilla’s criminal mind.

“Many of these drug cartels are not just focused on drug trafficking but are also involved in forced labor and sex trafficking,” she said.

The man’s name is well known on the Mexican side of the border. Multiple Mexican media outlets report he was once cooperating with the Mexican government, in return he received protection.

Correa-Cabrera said that’s one reason for his confidence to commit crimes.

“He was a protected witness, he was given certain benefits, and he thinks that he can just continue doing what he’s doing,” she said.

The professor admitted she’s worried that these criminals, making it across the border without issues, point to an even bigger problem in this “complicated corridor” between the U.S. and Mexico.

“There’s a lot of corruption. These criminal networks have not been harmed by these policies, and by this enormous amount of resources that have been spent on them, on both sides of the border,” Correa-Cabrera said.

She added there’s a lot of work to be done to stop criminals from crossing the border.

http://www.krgv.com/story/32698023/e...urity-policies