Cartels Using Common Logos As Identifiers

Lauren Rozyla/KFOX14 News Reporter
Posted: 4:00 pm MST March 3, 2011
Updated: 7:59 pm MST March 3, 2011

EL PASO, Texas -- Mexican cartel members and their associates are using everyday logos as identifiers while in the United States, according to a report issued by an El Paso Intelligence Center Bulletin.

The agency is telling law enforcement to be on the lookout for stickers and symbols on the rear window of vehicles. According to EPIC, the Gulf cartel has used the MGM lion logo in the past, and now may be using the John Deere logo. The Zetas, another drug trafficking organization, are using the Ferrari logo, according to EPIC.

However, U.S. Homeland Security officers located in El Paso told KFOX14 all vehicles and persons entering the country are treated the same. They said border agents are not specifically targeting those with logos on the backs of their rear windows.

And Mexican cartels are not just putting logos on their back windows. They are also branding themselves, according to the EPIC report. The logos can also be found on keychains, jewelry, leather jackets and more.

One cartel expert from the University of Texas El Paso also said that trends are always changing. He believes law enforcement will always be playing catch up.

"By the time the pattern is detected, the cartels have already moved on," said Dr. Tony Payan, from the political science department at UTEP. "I would say that the law enforcement agencies are always behind and are always trying to detect what's going on."

Payan said since the release of the EPIC report in 2010, the cartels could already have developed a new way to identify themselves.

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