But this was a put-on, Slater writes. Verified account Protected Tweets @; Suggested users Sheriff Joe has built a jail that he refers to publicly as his concentration camp, and presidential candidates flock here during election campaigns, emerging full of praise. ', Solitary: Before he was even at the legal drinking age, Reta was locked up forever in solitary confinement, Marked man: Reta, like Cardona, received prison tattoos after his arrest, the only outward indication of what occurred in his past, Teenage dream: Cardona and Reta were living like regular teenagers before being drawn into a world of murder, drugs and cash. Reta, now 20, is serving a 70-year sentence after pleading with the DEA for extradition to the U.S. so as to avoid being killed by a rival gang member in prison in Mexico, where he was arrested for a 2006 hit. They were paid up to $50,000 and 2 kilos of cocaine for carrying out a hit. His feelings about his bloody work have changed over the years, from chilling braggadocio as a 19-year-old in police interviews, to softly spoken, wet-eyed pleas for understanding in his latest interviews. He's the author of two odd books of fiction, 'Ivyland' and 'True False. 'Cell' of young enforcersThe accused ring leader in the Flores killing, Jesus "Jesse" Gonzales, fled to Mexico after making bail. Its a violent world.. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Rosalio Reta is a former Zeta Cartel hitman whom Hari visits at the Texas prison where he is currently serving a 70-year sentence for several murders. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Zavala was also charged for killing activist Marisela Escobedo in 2010. They lived in a large house in a nice part of Laredo and drove expensive cars. Considered one of the bloodiest hitmen in the state of Chihuahua, the Mexican army called Escajeda "a lieutenant and one of the main operators" of the Juarez cartel. "Under the circumstances, it was the best we could do," Pena said of the plea. Convicted of two murders (he says he killed. Garcia told CNN. Although he initially commented I like what I do in regards to his career as a hitman, Reta in recent weeks has affected a more remorseful tone: It gets to a point where I cant even stand myself, he says. Young Guns Photos. 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Detective Roberto Garcia of the Laredo Police Department told the New York Times, 'The cartels - they just seduce you. "One thing you wonder all the time: What made them this way?" Rosalio Retas career as a teen drug cartel assassin had begun. The following record for Rosalio Reta was recently collected from the state department of corrections website of Texas, of those serving a term of correctional supervision. They brought him to a ranch where, according to Reta, 'They were torturing people and getting information from them. As '24 nears, FL Gov. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Kids in England had to wear masks at school because No10 'didn't want an argument' with Nicola Sturgeon - Health ministers knew there was no evidence to justify making kids abide by rule of 6 - but No10 'didn't Charles evicting Harry and Meghan is the act of a King putting his country first: REBECCA ENGLISH reveals A royal princess at Eton? Reta, 24, and Cardona, 26, still bear signs of their years as feared assassins. In January 2009, Lopez confessed to disposing more than 300 corpses. A teenage hit man who killed at the behest of leaders of the Gulf Cartel pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a December 2005. Whatever Reta's true feelings about his past are, the facts have remained consistent. What's on TV & Streaming Top 250 TV Shows Most Popular TV Shows Browse TV Shows by Genre TV News India TV Spotlight. For four more years, he is known to have killed 30 people total, acting as a hitman for the Zeta cartel. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Houston facing severe thunderstorms, possible tornadoes Thursday, 'Call me a Nazi': Former Houston pastor calls for state book ban, Report: Houston ranked No. Regret: Reta expresses his anguish over his killing career that began at 13 years old, Baby-faced killers: Cardona was barely in his 20s and Reta was still a teenager when they were sent to jail for the rest of their lives, River to hell: The international bridge over the Rio Grande that links Laredo, Texas to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, Crossing: The border post at Laredo, Texas is one of the most important drug routes in the U.S. for Mexican drug cartels. 2023 Cable News Network. Reta, in Spanish street slang, describes his initiation as an assassin, at the age of 13, for the Mexican Gulf Cartel, one of the country's two major drug gangs. 12 pick, W&P Porter bowl review: A container that makes office lunch easy, A new musical spotlights a Texas bank-robbing legend. Rosalio Reta, 19, serving 70 years in a Texas prison, paid a fellow inmate to tattoo his face. A detective, sitting across the table, asks him how it all started. He says he made "guiso," or stew, with their bodies. An El Paso man convicted of killing 17 people, who later became a motivational speaker, was killed by his cellmate in a Chihuahua prison, authorities announced Sunday. Zavala was sentenced to life in prison after killing 16 people at a bar in Chihuahua in 2012. Thats a day that Im never going to be able to forget. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Oscar Cainer tells all. Can Alperen Sengun become a passable defender for the Rockets? He said he was under influence of drugs and forced to carry out murders, or cartel leaders would kill him. Reta pleaded guilty to two murders and was handed two prison sentences, of 30 and 40 years. The detective sitting across the table from Reta and Cardona in those sessions is Robert Garcia. This is a carousel. Remorseless: Cardona appears unrepentant for his nightmarish crimes. He still faces separate charges in another killing in Laredo that was allegedly carried out on the orders of the. The newspaper states Baeza killed Zavala for identifying him to authorities for his role in the murders. 4:56 PM EDT, Tue August 6, 2013, a Mexican government security spokesman told reporters in July. CNNs Ismael Estrada contributed to this report. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. Updated In this conversation. Once he bragged to police, 'If I cannot hit you in the forehead from a distance, I will kneel down in front of you and put my forehead against the muzzle of your gun. Teenagers go there to drink and dance, but cartel members lurk there, keeping an eye out for possible recruits. The friends were mingling with questionable characters but he was curious about the narco world. By 19, he was locked in a Texas prison in solitary confinement, facing 70 years jail for murder. The man, Jos Enrique Jimnez Zavala, otherwise known as El Wicked, died on Dec. 31 when he was strangled by Jaime Noel Cuevas Baeza, known by El Jimy, who was also convicted for homicide. And that's why the cartel recruited these young Americans. Cardona was also making a name for himself at that time, and impressing the same narco leaders. Biography Rosalio Reta was born in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico in 1990, and he was raised on both sides of the United States - Mexico border. ", Prosecutors say both teens were given military-style training in Mexico. Although Z-40 virtually ruled northern Mexico without fear, as Reta came to know him he began to see Trevino as a regular guy. This Record may not reflect actual, complete, or up-to-date data. Eventually Laredo police detectives zeroed in on the teen assassins. Many Zeta leaders often use numbers as their cartel nicknames. "I thought I was Superman. A teenage hit man who killed at the behest of leaders of the Gulf Cartel pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a December 2005 murder and was sentenced to 30 years in state prison. Reta and other teenagers were groomed and made to carry out assassinations on both sides of the border. According to a New York Times article from 2009, most of the American youths were recruited in a Nuevo Laredo disco called Eclipse, situated in the main square just across one of two bridges that connect the two Laredos. Case Details Full title:Rosalio RETA, Appellant v. The STATE of Texas, Appellee Court:Court of Appeals of Texas, Fourth District, San Antonio Date published: Jun 4, 2008 CitationsCopy Citation No. On the surface, Gabriel Cardonas eyes belong to a baby face. They were raised in poverty and with the many problems inherent to poverty. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. TV Shows. Jun. All Rights Reserved. Before that, he was a bodyguard and hitman for the leader of the Gulf cartel.He was arrested in 2008 and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Gonzalez Duran is allegedly one of the founding members of the Zetas, a group of army deserters who went to work as hitmen for the Gulf drug cartel. Prosecutor and investigators say Reta and Cardona were recruited into a group called "Los Zetas," a group made up of former members of the Mexican special military forces. Cardona claims he was spending more than $10,000 a week. Two men reveal details about their lives as teen drug cartel assassins, Now in prison, Rosalio Reta and Gabriel Cardona were hit men for drug lord "Z-40", For each killing, they say, they each were paid about $10,000, Their stories offer a glimpse into a dark world that threatens countless Mexicans and Americans. The job of a cartel assassin isnt one most people grow old and retire from. At first glance, the violence looked like isolated, gangland-style killings. . Some are teenagers, some are from Texas, and some are still on the run. Infamous cartel hit man 'El Wicked' strangled in prison: Mexican authorities. Cardona had eyeballs tattooed on his eyelids. This Houston rodeo food vendor wants you to eat his rattlesnake. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Reta said he began to fear that rival cartel members were getting close to killing him as retribution, so while working on an assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, he called a contact at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and surrendered. The third was. Watch: Astros SP Luis Garcia debuts new windup after rule changes, Oops! It just happened., I always had thought that if I die, its going to be by a bullet in the head, he said. Historica Wiki is a FANDOM Games Community. 'It gets to a point where I can't even stand myself. Cardona was arrested and pleaded guilty to killing seven men and to conspiracy to kidnap and kill in a foreign country. I never thought that I was going to die in prison.. Attorneys and witnesses have reported being threatened by the cartel's enforcers, and Reta has been moved into solitary confinement. Harry Anslinger employed Joe Arpaio in 1957 to be an agent in the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, and he rose through the bureau over decades. Its eating me inside little by little, and theres nothing I can do or say to justify my actions.. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Inmate Search Alabama Arizona Arkansas Federal Bureau of Prisons California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Rosalio Reta, convicted drug cartel assassin. Both teenagers received six-month military-style training on a Mexican ranch. The cartel leader looked at Reta and ordered him to shoot and kill a man tied up on the ground. Michael Stravato for The New York Times ", All About Laredo Gulf Cartel Gang Violence Mexico Illegal Drugs, Watch how the teens turned into drug cartel hitmen , Guarding the U.S.-Mexico border, from New York, House hearing on spillover violence from Mexico, Pentagon: No request to deploy troops to border, U.S. teens are accused of acting as Mexican cartel hit men in Laredo, Texas, One allegedly told police: "I loved killing that first person", Police detective: "One thing you wonder all the time is what made them be this way? 4, 2008) From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research RETA v. STATE Court of Appeals of Texas, Fourth District, San Antonio They offered a first-hand glimpse inside the sinister world of drug cartels, a world that plagues innocent people on both sides of the border. Industry chief demands planned corporation tax hike from 19 to 25% in this Ukrainian soldier takes out five Russian tanks and three armoured vehicles in ONE DAY using US-supplied Do not sell or share my personal information. And like everything in the violent world of drug cartels, unraveling truth and myth seems fleeting. It was this man who had stood over Reta that night, and it has at his behest that Reta carried out more than 30 bloody murders. Teen Hit Man For Los Zetas Cartel: Rosalio Reta aka Bart Simpson: Johann Hari - YouTube 0:00 / 8:20 #podcast #warondrugs #mafia Teen Hit Man For Los Zetas Cartel: Rosalio Reta aka Bart. Rebecca Salinas is a digital producer at the San Antonio Express-News. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. I wasn't living my life,' he told CNN. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class, Taking Vitamin D each day could cut your chances of getting dementia, study claims. And these kids all have that romantic notion they are going to live forever. Escajeda is also presumably responsible for the killing of anti-crime activist Benjamin LeBaron. Its hard to pinpoint just how much money they were paid. He is also accused of being involved in the murder of US Consulate staffers killed in Ciudad Juarez in 2010. Instead, Hari visits a rural Texas prison to interview a young man named. Thats why a lot of people follow him.. On the streets of Mexico, Trevino was known as Z-40.. As a 13-year-old, Reta was at school. But then there are those eyes tattooed on his eyelids. Since age 14 I was in court. The former editor of the Daily Dots Unclick section, Klees essays, satire, and fiction have appeared inLaphams Quarterly,Vanity Fair,3:AM,Salon,the Awl,the New York Observer,the Millions, and the Village Voice. Rosalio Reta was just 13 when he committed his first murder for the Zetas drug cartel; . It gives you that sense that you could do anything without being touched and having that sense of power, Cardona said. Reta was a young boy headed down the wrong path. For each killing, they were paid between $10,000 and $50,000 and pounds of cocaine. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Rosalio Reta(born 1990) was an enforcer for the Los Zetas gang in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas during the 2000s. The mysterious drug lord who ordered Reta to shoot the stranger at the ranch that day, Reta says, was Miguel Angel Trevino. "Los Zetas" liked what they saw in Cardona and Reta. Some like it, NOT! Couple find note in chimney that reveals their 290,000 house was 100 times cheaper 50 years ago. Rosalio Reta and his friend, Gabriel Cardona, were members of a three-person cell of American teenagers working as cartel hit men in the United States, according to prosecutors. Reta dropped out of school in sixth grade, Cardona left in the ninth. Reta's face became covered in tattoo markings. Did you encounter any technical issues? Just hours before they were arrested, federal authorities taped a phone conversation between them in which Cardona brags about killing 14-year-old Inez Villareal and his cousin, a Cardona rival. Is the Stanley Quencher tumbler worth its TikTok hype? Retas boyhood friend Gabriel Cardona says he started his life as a criminal by stealing cars and selling them across the border in Mexico. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. He allegedly deserted the army in 1999 and was a top lieutenant to current Zeta leader Heriberto Lazcano. Top dog: Miguel ngel Trevio was at the head of the most vicious, violent and depraved of Mexico's drug cartels until his arrest last month. While in prison, Zavala spoke to middle and high school students as the principal speaker in the Libre de Prisiones program, according to Proceso. TV . It's eating me inside little by little, and there's nothing I can do or say to justify my actions.'. 'I've come to regret everything I've done. Trevino had built control and protection systems to insulate his organization at every level from law enforcement agencies and politicians. Reta grew up in Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico read analysis of Rosalio Reta In 2003, he brought his friend Rosalio Reta to Nuevo Laredo for adventure, eating at a restaurant before his brother summoned him to meet with Los Zetas chief Miguel Trevino Morales. (Prosecutors say during his trial Reta used make-up to cover the facial markings.) 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