Breitbart – by Brandon DarbyLUBBOCK, Texas — Seven Mexican cartels are operating command and control networks in Texas, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). A recent data release by the DPS reports:
Mexican cartels are the most significant organized crime threat to Texas, with seven of the eight cartels operating command and control networks in the state, moving drugs and people into the United States, and transporting cash, weapons and stolen vehicles back to Mexico. In short, an unsecure U.S.-Mexico border is a state and national security problem.
Breitbart Texas previously reported on aspects of the DPS report. A long list of crimes against individuals and property, in addition to serious instances of cartel-related public corruption along the Texas-Mexico border were detailed.
Other DPS data reveal the names of the cartels with significant operational networks in the state. The Juarez cartel, La Familia Michoacana, the Gulf cartel, the Sinaloa Federation, the Beltran Leyva organization, the Zetas, and the Knight Templar are all listed.
Texas is currently experiencing a shale oil boom, following a similar boom occurring in the Bakken region in the northern United States. That region began experiencing an increase in methamphetamine usage as oil workers poured in with expendable income. Texas’ Permian Basin Shale oil boom has seen an increase in oil workers and similar patterns in the methamphetamine market emerged. Mexican cartels retain heavy control over methamphetamine in the U.S. and the Texas market has Mexican cartels competing for dominance.
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