HAWKS CROSS COUNTRY SOARS
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2012
FREE
ZAPATA RUNS WELL AT UTSA HIGH SCHOOL MEET, 1B
DELIVERED EVERY SATURDAY
TO 4,000 HOMES
A HEARST PUBLICATION
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
FEDERAL TRIAL
TEXAS TRAFFIC SERIES
Cartel man explains gang
‘Kind of porous’
By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN
Sheriff: Crooks find unguarded border easy to cross By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Capt. Aaron Sanchez, of the Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office, does not hesitate in saying the border in Zapata County is “kind of porous.” The county
dubbed “Home of Falcon Lake” does not give authorities much access to patrol in certain rural areas, since these are privately-owned or are surrounded with thick brush. Sanchez said the criminal element seizes that opportunity.
“It’s kind of easy for them to bring their stuff across, whether it’d be human smuggling or drugs,” Sanchez told Texas Traffic Series, a series of video testimonials where ranchers and farmers voice their concerns about issues with smug-
glers. Farmers and ranchers along the Texas-Mexico border are being intimidated on their properties by transnational criminal organizations, said
See BORDER PAGE 10A
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BROWNSVILLE — When Americans cross the border into the tiny town of Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, to buy prescription drugs at a fraction of the cost, a chunk of those transactions ends up in the pocket of Mexico’s Gulf cartel, the organization’s one-time boss of that region testified Friday at the trial of a fellow cartel supervisor. Rafael Cardenas Vela, 38, the nephew of former cartel kingpin Osiel Cardenas Guillen and a rising star in his own right, testified in rare detail at the trial of Juan Roberto Rincon-Rincon about how Cardenas Vela ran three of the cartel’s principal zones during a decade. So-called plaza bosses such as Cardenas Vela and Rincon-Rincon are responsible for making sure the cartel gets a piece of the activity — legal and illegal — in their zones of control. Using a nearly 6-foot tall organizational chart and dozens of magnetically mounted photos, Cardenas Vela walked jurors through each cartel event since 2002 and the turmoil and reshuffling that followed. The display would have been familiar to anyone in the corporate world except at the bottom of the chart were spaces for those arrested and killed. From 2009 to 2011, Cardenas Vela ran the Rio Bravo “plaza” — a territory along the Rio Grande encompassing various smuggling routes — for the cartel. Nuevo Progreso, the laid-back, touristfriendly strip sat within his sphere of influence. Cardenas Vela bribed every level of police authority in his plaza. He bribed U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, and agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. He met with the press, put some on his payroll and warned them
See CARTEL PAGE 10A
DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES
HELPING OTHERS SUCCEED
Photo by Danny Zaragoza | Laredo Morning Times
Motivational speaker J.R. Martinez inspires the audience at the Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Center as he speaks about being happy by keeping a positive attitude, on Wednesday evening at LCC.
J.R. Martinez urges audience to reach for their goals By RICARDO R. VILLARREAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
Motivational speaker, dancer, actor, military veteran and survivor J.R. Martinez was the first speaker in the 2012-2013 Distinguished Speaker Series at Lare-
do Community College on Wednesday evening. Martinez was almost one month into his deployment in Karbala, Iraq in April 2003 when the Humvee he was driving struck a land mine and he sustained severe burns to more
than 40 percent of his body as he lay trapped inside. Three fellow soldiers riding with Martinez were thrown from the vehicle and sustained minor injuries. Martinez spent almost three years in recovery at Brooke Ar-
my Medical Center in San Antonio, where he endured 33 skin grafts and cosmetic surgeries. He said that it was as he lay early in his recovery while speaking to his mother that he
See PEACE PAGE 10A
COMMISSIONERS
Utility line move may cost less if changed now By MIKAELA RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Zapata County commissioners on Monday will look to get a jump on cutting county costs incurred by a TxDOT project. The Texas Department of Transportation is slated to build a bridge crossing Valeno Creek in March of 2014, but county officials say relocating
sewer and water lines in the area could cost about $1.5 million less if moved now, while the creek bed remains dry. “Right now it would be less expensive to move it; if we wait for the water to go up, it has to be done underwater and it would be three or four times more expensive,” Mario Gonzalez Davis, Zapata County projects coordinator, said. The
$500,000 to be allotted for the rerouting of water lines was set aside by the county when TxDOT proposed the project in 2007. County Judge Joe Rathmell said he is recommending the court approve the project because it is unknown if Falcon Lake’s water level will rise in coming years. Officials said nearby residents’ sewer and
water services won’t be affected by the construction. Davis said once Phase One of the project is in place, services can be aligned to the new route “within a matter of hours.” The court will also decide on opening a Legal Ease account from which other counties can collect payment when a Mental Health, Mental Retardation Services patient is transferred
from the Zapata County judge’s office to another county, such as Bexar. Romeo Salinas, Zapata County treasurer, said the $300 transfer fee can sometimes be difficult for the receiving county to procure from smaller counties. “A lot of counties are having trouble paying fees, so they no-
See BRIDGE PAGE 10A