U.S. Offering Millions For Tips On Cartel Members

by BELO Border Bureau Chief Angela Kocherga

The U.S. government is offering millions of dollars in new rewards for information that leads to the arrest of indicted drug traffickers.

The targets: members of the Gulf cartel and Zetas.

The DEA has set up a hotline in Houston for anonymous tips, but in regions coping with drug violence, many residents seem reluctant to seek a reward.

As Mexico tries to crack down on drug cartels using military force, the U.S. government is confident cash rewards will lead to the capture of ten top traffickers with the Gulf cartel and its enforcers, the Zetas. The bounty is $5 million per suspect.

Arturo Chavez, a Juarez resident, said the money might encourage some people to offer an anonymous tip but quickly added that he would not do it.

As the U.S. government targets the Gulf cartel and Zetas, a newly named group is terrorizing Juarez. They are known as Los Linces (the Lynxes).

“Si yo supiera algo no diria nada (If I knew something, I would not tell anything),” said Laura Gomez, another Juarez resident.

It’s like selling your life, she explained.

According to Mexican officials, the Juarez hit squads, like the Gulf cartel’s Zetas, include former members of Mexico’s special forces.

The Mexican military is now coping with urban warfare where small bands of rival hitmen roam the streets, striking with precision, then disappearing into the massive city.

Juarez resident Luz Urbina said residents feel threatened by the armed men they see on the streets, but are too afraid to report anything they witness to authorities.

If you would like to see photos of the suspects or learn more about the new rewards and tip hotline, go to the State Department’s Narcotics Reward Program Web site.

And if you have any tips on the Gulf cartel and/or Zetas, you can e-mail GULFTF@USDOJ.GOVor call the DEA’s toll-free phone line, 877-800-1323.