New level of sophistication cartels are showing when human smuggling into Texas

SAN ANTONIO — “The smuggling operation - the smuggling endeavors are highly sophisticated,” says Sheriff Brad Coe, Kinney County Sheriff’s Office.

A new sign of the level of sophistication of criminal organizations at the border. Fox San Antonio Investigative Reporter Yami Virgin spoke to the Sheriff at the border, who says he is now finding wrist bands the cartels are putting on the undocumented to track them.

Nobody crosses the border without paying the Plaza tax. The Plazas are the main drug routes into the United States which are also used for human smuggling.

In Kinney county, about 50 miles west of Del Rio, Sheriff Brad Coe has found evidence in the form of wristbands, of the level of organization being used to smuggle undocumented immigrants.

“Over the past couple of months the wristbands that the people were wearing, designate where they're going to, how much they paid if they're, other than Mexican, if they're Mexican, male, female, children if it's prepaid and they've got a coding system,” says Sheriff Coe.

A coding system that along with Custom Border Protection, the Kinney County Sheriff’s Office is decoding.

“They've got it down to a science, certain colors for a certain day, just like in any event, you know, some college towns, they've got the wristband, to go into the bar on Thursday night, but it's a different color on Friday night. So it's basically the same thing,” says Sheriff Coe.

That coding system is also used to track who has paid and whose family back in their country of origin has to be shaken for payment.

“As far as paying to get across we're hearing anything from $4,000 for Mexican and just goes up from there. Congo, Russia, and whatever else may be as high as ten to $15,000 to $20,000. So it varies from location to location. They may be a little cheaper here in our area, but down in the Valley area may be more expensive or vice versa. It just depends on the luck of the day," says Sheriff Coe.

Sheriff Coe says the war on the other side of the border is intensifying as the cartels try to keep control of their money-making routes.

“So it's just like a corporate business, you're always trying to take over another line of work, or put someone out of business so that you can increase your profits, etc. It's a business,” says Sheriff Coe. “The Cartel Del Norte, they're running in certain areas of the river area, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Gulf Cartel, they're all battling for territory and trying to get their area of the river for them only.”

Sheriff Coe says what he is seeing today will affect the rest of the country tomorrow if it is not put under control.