Pubdate: Thu, 09 Jun 2005 Source: Oklahoman, The (OK) Copyright: 2005 The Oklahoma Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.oklahoman.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318 Author: Penny Cockerell, State Correspondent JUAREZ DRUG CARTEL SENDS MESSAGE WITH SLAYINGS Out of 53 arrest warrants issued by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics last fall, those for Jesus Manuel Torres and Carlos Roberto Salinas were among the most wanted. Pinpointed as mid-level drug traffickers who moved dope and money between Mexico and Oklahoma, the elusive pair made sure shipments arrived and payments were made. Apparently, someone wanted them even more than the police. Last Thursday, Torres, 29, and Salinas, 27, became the 23rd and 24th victims this year in a string of execution-style murders that are all too common in the Mexican border town of Juarez City, where one wrong move can turn a trafficker into a torture victim -- and a calling card for anyone who considers crossing Juarez's powerful drug cartel. Since then, there have three more executions. Torres and Salinas were found dead near a hospital with duct tape wrapped around their head, feet and hands. Their bodies were covered in blankets. Authorities said they had been tortured. "They're always discovered in a manner that says they're executed and it says 'Don't mess with the big boys,'" said Lonnie Wright, the narcotic bureau director. "They have a saying down there: you can take the silver or you can take the lead." "Down there" is Ciudad Juarez, the Mexican town across the border from El Paso, Texas, where some 18,000 tractor-trailer rigs cross the Bridge of the Americas daily. Mark Woodward, the bureau spokesman, said the Juarez cartel controls all drug shipments and may send as many as 10 trucks across each day, some carrying hidden loads worth millions. Oklahoma crossroads The shift from flying drugs into the state through Florida to driving them in through Mexican cartels started in the early 1990s. A network was established on both sides of the border to ensure arrivals and payment, as well as to break large bundles into smaller ones and ship them to smaller dealers. Oklahoma is a prime location because of its interstates. Much of the breakdown and distribution happens here, Woodward said. After crossing the Mexican border into El Paso, drug traffickers head out on Interstate 10, northeast to I-20 and then to I-35, where they cross into Oklahoma. Oklahoma City has three major crossroads for distributors to use: I-40 for east-west routes; I-35 for north-south routes, and I-44 for routes to Chicago and other northern locations, Woodward said. These Mexican networks blend into society well -- and not just in the cities. Many live in rural areas, where no one notices when a truck is unloaded at midnight. They're farmers, car dealers, restaurant and pottery shop owners, and their lives are anything but lavish. Most are age 40 and younger and are not addicts themselves. They get a percentage of the profits and send the rest back to Mexico, Wright said. "They're a very tight-knit group, often families," Woodward said. "A lot of people we arrest are very scared to cooperate with us because they fear retaliation to their families." Torres and Salinas lived in Mexico but made frequent trips and calls to Oklahoma to ensure money got back home. Though informants are often targets for execution, they had not cooperated with drug enforcement. Some of their relatives had been arrested, but they also didn't cooperate, Woodward said. New focus on meth suppliers Learning their names was no small feat. The voices of Torres and Salinas were identified through wiretaps set up in a sting that resulted in 53 arrest warrants. The two spoke Spanish and used code terms. It took nine months and countless hours of translation to pinpoint them. Of the 53 warrants issued, 45 have been arrested. Many are free on bond, Wright said. Only recently have agents been able to pursue Mexican cartels with vigor. The last several years were spent cracking methamphetamine labs. Now the focus is to cut off the Mexican suppliers. But Wright said they get little cooperation from Mexican authorities. Only when suspects cross the border are they truly vulnerable to prosecution. The other side, however, can be worse. Torres and Salinas "were fully aware of the consequences," Wright said. "They must've just done something wrong." - --- MAP posted-by: Derek