(NewsNation) — The Gulf Cartel has control not only in Mexico but also on American soil, according to border officials.
NewsNation recently took an exclusive tour of the area Customs and Border Patrol officials call “cartel territory” in the small town of Roma, Texas, which sits near the U.S.-Mexico border.
The NewsNation team and Border Patrol agents were confronted by cartel traffickers in the town that has become the sight of a turf war between the cartel and the United States government, which is trying to reclaim the area.
Border Patrol officials said the cartel has been controlling the illegal activity, such as what gets across the border. Suspected cartel members threw rocks at authorities and the NewsNation team as they crossed into the smuggling zone.
A “scout house” was located in the area, with writing on it reading “CDG,” the abbreviation for Cartel del Golfo, or Gulf Cartel. The group has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration.
Border Patrol officials said the rock-throwing incident has been a common occurrence.
“We have to be a little more vigilant in those areas,” Border Patrol agent Christina Smallwood said. “They could be trying to use a scare tactic on us, something to show their presence.”
Officials say they are seeing an increase in activity in the area as the cartel smuggles narcotics like fentanyl into the ports.
The cartel’s scout house is heavily guarded, and officials say they use surveillance like drones to ensure no Border Patrol agents are present before they smuggle in narcotics or people into the U.S.
Texas authorities have been trying to clear the islands that surround Roma so officials can have more visibility into the operations.