Drug Cartels Are The No. 1 Threat To Texas

Texas law enforcement apparently doesn't agree with the Federal government's assessment of border security. From the Blaze:

The Department of Homeland Security and the other federal agencies can continue downplaying the threat that an unsecure border represents to the United States of America — but that won’t keep Mexican drug cartels from operating freely in states like Texas.

Contradicting Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s claim that “our borders have, in fact, never been stronger,” a new report released by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) reveals Mexican drug cartels are operating in the Lone Star State and are the No. 1 threat to Texas.

“The threat to Texas is significant due to the prevalence of lucrative trafficking routes and smuggling networks throughout the state, as well as the state’s proximity to cities and towns steeped in cartel violence and influence just across the border in Mexico,” the report reads.

While Texas faces a full spectrum of “unique challenges to public safety and homeland security,” drug cartels are at the top of the list.

The Gulf Cartel, Los Zetas, La Familia Michoacana, Beltran Leyva and even the Sinaloa Cartel are all operating out of Texas, including Cameron, Hidalgo and Zapata Counties.

“These powerful and ruthless criminal organizations use military and terrorist tactics to battle each other and the government of Mexico for control over the lucrative U.S. drug and human smuggling markets,” according to the report. “The violence associated with this conflict has increased significantly since 2006. Some 60,000 lives have been lost, and cartel tactics in Mexico have escalated with the continued use of torture and beheading, improvised explosive devices, military-grade weapons such as grenades, and attacks against U.S. officials and diplomatic facilities.”