KFDA - NewsChannel 10 / Amarillo News, Weather, SportsDrug cartels recruiting Texas teens

Drug cartels recruiting Texas teens

Amarillo, TX - Drug cartels are seeking younger and younger recruits, and they're finding them all across Texas schools.

The Department of Public Safety is alerting parents all across the state regarding the increased presence of drug cartels looking to lure children into transporting narcotics and illegal immigrants across the border.

Elisabeth Mandala was set to graduate from her Houston high school this past may.

The 18-year-old Texas senior had plans to go to college, but that all came to an abrupt end.

Her body was found dumped in the back of a pick up truck in Mexico.

It's believed the violent drug cartels recruited her to smuggle illegal immigrants across the border.

"They are recruiting young children, older adults and elderly adults," Dumas ISD Superintendent Mark Stroebel said. "It's a scary thought."

His district includes students living not only in Dumas, but the small town of Cactus.

We're told the area has changed over the years. Some call the City of Cactus, "The Town With No Rules" after a drug related murder went unsolved and just recently, the entire police force quit.

Cactus Police Chief Eloy Ortiz declined to talk with us about the drug problem in his town. We met with him personally two weeks ago, but would only tell us the drug problem is getting better.

"Once these cartels have their hooks in you, there's no getting out," State Trooper Gabriel Medrano said.

He's well aware of the problem that could easily trickle into our community.

"The potential is always here because I-40 is a major corridor for drug trafficking," he said.

He'll also tell you that drugs in violence go hand-in-hand.

"There's been instances of kidnappings and teens getting held for ransom down in Mexico so it is very dangerous and it's not a game," he said.

We're told the cartels are recruiting students because they are young, vulnerable and better able to slide underneath the legal system.

"They'll be facing the justice system at the juvenile level," Stroebel said.

"They are looking for any market they can use in order to further their drug trafficking goals," Medrano said. "If they can use high school students, that's what they are going to do."

7-months have gone by since Mandala's murder, and it hasn't been any easier on the family.

"These cartels don't care about the communities or the families they effect," Medrano said.

We're told the U.S. Customs and Border Protection have developed an educational campaign known as "Operation Detour."

The program uses law enforcement to warn high school students of the consequences of becoming involved with smuggling.