Drug cartels are turning to kids to help move their product from Mexico to the US, promising big money and leniency if caught, but these promises are all a lie.
Drug cartels have turned to teens to smuggle their product across the border. Federal agents recently admitted that they are seeing more young people getting involved in drug smuggling across the US-Mexico border, and, while some may join willingly, others are being recruited. Social media may also be responsible for helping the drug cartels recruit teens.
In 2012 a growing number of teens have been caught at the San Ysidro border trying to cross into the US with drugs secretly taped to their bodies. This includes both Mexican and American children, some as young as 12 years old. It’s not just marijuana that they are being asked to move. Meth has taken over as the most popular drug being smuggled out of Mexico.
Kids are paid anywhere from $50 to $500, but law enforcement warns that the money is minimal compared to the risk. Underage smugglers are told they won’t get in serious trouble if caught, but even those under 18 face serious penalties such as felony charges if arrested with hard narcotics.
Agents are doing what they can to combat the dangerous trend, forming an outreach program that visits schools to warn kids about the dangers of drug smuggling. They also warn parents to be alert and aware of their teens’ cash flow.
In the end it’s up to kids themselves to see the danger and just say “no.”
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