The cartel is recruiting American soldiers to smuggle migrants into the US in a worrying new trend.
So far, two have been arrested for participating in the illegal people smuggling schemes.
One is Brandon Broadhead, a 23-year-old Army reservist who told NewsNation how he was paid $5,000 to bring migrants into Eagle Pass, a border hotspot in Texas.
He was caught as he tried to flee from Border Patrol.
Branden Broadhead, 23, a US Army reservist, was arrested Saturday for smuggling two illegal immigrants from Eagle Pass further into the US
On April 3, Texas National Guard member Savion Johnson, 26, lead Texas state troopers on a chase after they tried to pull him over and found an illegal immigrant in his SUV
The jail booking photo shows Savion Amari Donovan Johnson after his arrest
‘You start seeing the white (Border Patrol) vehicles, my stomach drops,” the young military member told reporter Ali Bradley.
‘It was a one-way road. I’m ready screwed.’
Broadhead’s arrest is the second of its kind in recent weeks.
The April 3 arrest of a Texas National Guard member, who is himself stationed on the border to clamp down on the flower of border crossers, was caught in a dramatic video after his refused to pull over for cops and led state troopers on a chase.
An illegal immigrant man was in Johnson’s SUV.
Savion Johnson, 26, is charged with evading arrest, smuggling of persons and unlawful carry of a weapon.
Human smuggling is both a state and federal crime in the Lone Star State.
In Texas, offenders face a minimum mandatory sentence of two to 10 years if convicted.
After Johnson’s arrest, Gov. Greg Abbott called him a traitor.
‘If the allegations are true, the accused is a traitor and criminal,’ the governor said in a statement to NewsNation.
Texas National Guard personnel place a new fence with barbed wire on the North bank of the Rio Bravo in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, 05 April 2024
‘We have zero tolerance for Texans who violate laws that directly contradict the mission we are seeking to achieve.’
Broadhead claims this is the first time he has ever done anything illegal, but accepted driving the two Mexicans cousins further into the US because he could make he wanted to help his family.
‘They told me I could make a quick $4,000-5,000 on a weekend, on a day, on Saturday. I don’t make that in a month,’ he revealed.
‘I could use that. My mom’s been sick. I live with like six, seven people at the house and they don’t work.’
After connecting with a low-level member through a mutual friend, Broadhead arrived in Eagle Pass over the weekend.
He waited until the smuggling organization sent him a pin, telling him where to pick up the migrants in an Eagle Pass hotel.
Cartels often rely on encrypted apps, such as WhatsApp and SnapChat to send pick up spots to drivers they’re paying to move their human loads, law enforcement sources tell DailyMail.com.
It’s unclear where Broadhead was supposed to drive the migrants to, but before the trio could even leave the border, the first-time soldier turned criminal was already in handcuffs.
‘The talk of big money, plus they’re away from home, plus the government knows what their bills are…they’re being lured into this because of the promise of big money,’ Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe told the outlet.
Because troops are supposed to be one of the good guys, they’re a perfect target for cartels, who are always seeking ingenious ways to move illegal immigrants from the border deeper inside the US.
I think it’s more widespread than anybody wants to believe,’ Coe stated.
‘We’ve had law enforcement getting involved with biker gangs on the side.
‘They end up getting ratted out, and now we’ve got the military involved in some of this stuff. It’s just a matter of time before we get somebody else.’
The US Army has not yet confirmed whether he has been discharged.
