NY POST EXCERPT--- Mexican cartels dispatch agents deep inside US - spread into non-border states
CHICAGO (AP) Mexican drug cartels whose operatives once rarely ventured beyond the US border are dispatching some of their most trusted agents to live and work deep inside the United States an emboldened presence that experts believe is meant to tighten their grip on the world's most lucrative narcotics market and maximize profits. If left unchecked, authorities say, the cartels' move into the American interior could render the syndicates harder than ever to dislodge and pave the way for them to expand into other criminal enterprises such as prostitution, kidnapping- and-extortion rackets and money laundering.
Some cartels even have Mexican operatives fill out job applications before being dispatched to the US, Riley added.
In Mexico, the cartels are known for a staggering number of killings more than 50,000, according to one tally. Beheadings are sometimes a signature. So far, cartels don't appear to be directly responsible for large numbers of slayings in the United States, though the Texas Department of Public Safety reported 22 killings and five kidnappings in Texas at the hands of Mexican cartels from 2010 through mid- 2011. Still, police worry that increased cartel activity could fuel heightened violence.--SNIP--
In Chicago, the police commander who oversees narcotics investigations, James O'Grady, said street-gang disputes over turf account for most of the city's uptick in murders last year, when slayings topped 500 for the first time since 2008.
Although the cartels aren't dictating the territorial wars, they are the source of drugs. Riley's assessment is stark: He argues that the cartels should be seen as an underlying cause of Chicago's disturbingly high murder rate. "They are the puppeteers," he said. "Maybe the shooter didn't know and maybe the victim didn't know that. But if you follow it down the line, the cartels are ultimately responsible."
SOURCE http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/mexican_cartels_dispatch_agents_ZsKwR5wQCvQvpBXnejs1TJ
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