DPS Director says Mexican Cartels recruit U.S. Gangs

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - As the first Anti Gang Center opened in Laredo, Texas DPS Director Steve McCraw says fighting gangs in the U.S. is essential to tackle Mexican Cartels.

McCraw says Mexican Cartels recruit U.S. gangs to work collaboratively on both sides of the border. He attributes these alliances to the increase in smuggling of cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl among other drugs making their way into the U.S.

“The gangs work to support cartel operations on both sides of the border. They certainly do it, they operate in Mexico and they operate on this side too in terms of stash houses where there’s drugs and people”, said McCraw. “They extort people on the south of the border and extort them when they get to this side of the border. So you can’t really tell the difference between smuggling and trafficking of people. They don’t care how they treat them or where they put them.”

McCraw went on to say the migrant crisis has become so severe that it becomes difficult for Law Enforcement to differentiate between smuggling and trafficking of people.

He also said any type of border or public safety strategy needs to address the smuggling infrastructure to tackle the root of violence and crime along the border.

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