Cartel power shifts rev up violence on border (7:25 a.m.)

By Daniel Borunda / For The Sun-News
Article Launched: 09/21/2007 07:34:09 AM MDT

EL PASO — A shift in drug-trafficking affiliations in the El Paso-Ju rez region has sparked an often-murderous competition among six regional organizations, El Paso County sheriff's officials said.

The competition has emerged because of power shifts among drug cartels and increased pressure from Mexican federal authorities, narcotics experts said.

"It's almost an open market, if you will. It used to be some of these organizations were so strong that now some of these territories are overlapping into other territory," said Cmdr. Claudio "Tony" Morales of the sheriff's Criminal Enterprise Unit.

The issue of battling narco-traffickers was raised earlier this week when the Sheriff's Office received permission from the County Commissioners Court to apply for a $2.6 million state border law enforcement grant.

Morales said authorities are seeing increased competition among subgroups vying for control of lucrative smuggling routes. "It's almost like (traffickers) are outsourcing," he said.

Robert Almonte, executive director of the Texas Narcotics Officers Association, said Mexican cartels are not only adjusting to internal changes and competition but also facing a crackdown by the administration of Mexican President Felipe Calder.

"What I've noticed is an escalation, if you will. President Calder is putting pressure on the drug cartels — that's something they are not used to seeing," Almonte said.

What happens in Mexico affects the $14 billion U.S. drug market. Pressure flows down to smugglers and dealers, who use murder as a way to deal with rivals and informants, and eventually consumers.

USA Today recently reported that the Drug Enforcement Administration has seen the price of cocaine jump sharply in 26 cities this year because of a drop in supply.

Sheriff's Chief Deputy Jimmy Apodaca added that drug traffickers traditionally dealing in marijuana and cocaine have expanded over the years into methamphetamines, pharmaceuticals and human trafficking.

The National Drug Threat Assessment 2007 by the U.S. Department of Justice declared that expansion into meth distribution has allowed Mexican drug traffickers to have "gained considerable strength and greatly expanded their presence in drug markets throughout the country, even in many smaller communities in midwestern and eastern states."

In El Paso County, sheriff's officials said they are hoping to disrupt the "toll takers," or people paid along smuggling routes.

"Everybody thinks we (in El Paso) are so safe. "We are the safest city.' You got to understand a few inches across (the border) they are whacking people left and right.

"We need to be aware of that," Morales said, "and hopefully it won't trickle on down to this side."

Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com; 546-6102. He is a reporter for the El Paso Times, a member of the Texas-New Mexico Newspaper Partnership.

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