Drug traffickers could be more prone to confront U.S. law enforcement as they come under pressure and the cartel war continues to rage in the Juárez, Mexico, region, an analysis issued by the National Drug Intelligence Center states, reports the El Paso Times. The possibility that the cartel war could cross the border was raised last week when it was revealed that El Paso authorities had received unconfirmed information stating that Mexican drug cartels had approved sending hit men into the United States to kill targets here.
More than 900 people have been slain so far this year in Juárez — killings thought to be due to a war between the Juárez and Sinaloa drug cartels. Juárez has also seen a jump in kidnappings for ransom and in bank robberies, which total more than 50 this year. “Once a dominant cartel is established in the El Paso-Juárez plaza, stability will return to the area and the flow of drugs most likely will increase,” states an annual analysis of the West Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area released in May by the National Drug Intelligence Center. The potential for spillover of cartel violence into West Texas was mentioned in the analysis.