Photo: Moment RF
The cartels are going high-tech. They've been using online ads to recruit drivers from all walks of life to come smuggle illegal immigrants. This is just a sign of how well cartels have been able to adapt over the last four years.
According to Texas DPS Lieutenant Chris Olivarez, this social media strategy has been very successful for the cartels. He said, "That's why we've seen so many different backgrounds, demographics, and people even out of state, that are coming down to the border to smuggle illegal immigrants."
Olivarez also warned social media users to be careful and look out for these ads, which can oftentimes be deceptive. He said, "What they'll say is 'Drivers Wanted.' They'll say how much, but they won't actually come out and say that 'We want to hire drivers to smuggle people.' So they're very strategic in how they do it."
Olivarez says that if you see an ad like that, and it looks too good to be true, it probably is. He warned, "Don't get involved with this, and if you do, there are consequences, so be prepared to face those consequences if you do get arrested and go to jail."
He says we will likely be dealing with this problem until we find some way to prevent cartels from infiltrating and buying ad space on social media platforms.