Generation Z
NARRATOR: FOR A DECADE NOW, DRUG CARTELS HAVE BEEN WAGING A WAR FOR
TERRITORY ALONG THE U.S. MEXICO BORDER.
IN MEXICO, THE VIOLENCE HAS DEVASTATED CITIES AND CLAIMED THE LIVES OF
NEARLY 60,000 PEOPLE.
NUEVO LAREDO AND ITS SISTER CITY LAREDO TEXAS ARE THE CROWN JEWELS OF
SMUGGLING ROUTES INTO THE UNITED STATES
PENA: The largest land border crossing. Thousands and thousands of trucks crossing the U.SMexico
border every day. Thousands of pedestrians crossing.
BETTY FLORES: Our geography is what made us really as successful as we've been.
Prosperity means you bring in the good, the bad, and the ugly, remember.
GARCIA: This is the best place for drug cartels to operate.
NARRATOR: WITH BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AT STAKE, THE BATTLE FOR CONTROL OF
NUEVO LAREDO WAS AN ALL OUT WAR.
THE CITY WAS SEIZED BY THE ZETAS, A RUTHLESS GROUP OF EX-COMMANDOS WHO
USED A MIX OF TACTICAL WARFARE AND TERRIFYING DISPLAYS OF VIOLENCE TO
DEFEAT THEIR RIVALS.
BUT A MORE TERRIFYING ZETA TACTIC IS LAYING WASTE TO AN ENTIRE
GENERATION.
THE ZETAS WERE RECRUITING HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN AND SENDING THEM TO
THE FRONTLINES IN BATTLES AGAINST RIVAL CARTELS AND THE MEXICAN ARMY.
SICARIO: It's easy to pull the trigger, but the moment you pull the trigger your life changes fast.
Why? Because now you have blood on your hands.
THESE NINO SICARIOS, OR CHILD ASSASSINS, NOT ONLY WITNESSED THE VIOLENCE
OF THE DRUG CARTELS, THEY WERE FORCED TO TAKE PART IN IT.
RETA: And thats the first place I had seen. People being executed people getting burned alive.
And thats the first place I had seen. People being executed people, people getting burned alive.
And that's the first time that I had to shoot somebody, that very same night.
RETA'S EX-WIFE: They took a 13-year-old child gave him a gun and told him it's either you
shoot him or we are going to kill you, and at thirteen that's going to put fear in anybody.
ON SCREEN: GENERATION Z, Child Soldiers of the Zetas
ANONYMOUS GUIDE : "Welcome to the border. Welcome to Nuevo Laredo. It is one of
the most dangerous cities in Mexico. We're in the center of Nuevo Laredo. There are many
businesses here. It is a prosperous area."
The people who live in Nuevo Laredo are poor and hard-working. But, unfortunately, because of
the narco, many of the businesses have had to shut down.
NARRATOR: ALONG THE US MEXICO BORDER THE VIOLENCE HAS AFFECTED EVERY
ASPECT OF SOCIETY.
NUEVO LAREDO IS SO DANGEROUS, THAT THE MAN GUIDING US MUST HIDE HIS
IDENTITY. HE FEARS HE COULD BE KILLED JUST FOR TALKING TO US.
ANONYMOUS GUIDE: "When you drive around you see lots of houses with black ribbons. This
means someone who lived there has died.
Sadly, most of the deaths are young people killed in this cruel war."
NARRATOR: THERE ARE NO OFFICIAL NUMBERS FOR CHILDREN KILLED IN THE
VIOLENCE, BUT ESTIMATES ARE IN THE THOUSANDS.
five MINUTES FROM THE BORDER IS CASA HOGAR ELIM, A HOME FOR ORPHANS AND
DISADVANTAGED YOUTH IN NUEVO LAREDO, IN THE STATE OF TAMAULIPAS.
THE FACILITY WAS FOUNDED BY: GUADALUPE CARMONA KNOWN TO THE CHILDREN
WHO LIVE HERE AS "MAMA LUPITA".
TWENTY YEARS AGO, SHE OPENED HER DOORS TO PROVIDE FOOD AND SHELTER
FOR 15 KIDS. TODAY, THERE ARE MORE THAN 200 CHILDREN LIVING HERE.
THEY COME TO MAMA LUPITA TO ESCAPE FROM THE VIOLENCE AND GET A HOT
MEAL.
MAMA LUPITA: "They are always really hungry when they first get here. When we see children
eating two or three pieces of bread, they are always the new kids.
They eat a lot. Whatever you give them, they will eat it.
The majority of kids staying at Casa Hogar are here because of problems stemming from
organized crime and because of the instability of our country."
NARRATOR: IN 2006, THE MEXICAN ARMY CAME HERE, THEY WERE DEPLOYED TO
BATTLE THE ZETAS, THE MOST POWERFUL NARCO GANG IN NUEVO LAREDO. THEY
CONTROLLED MORE THAN HALF THE CITY.
OUR DRIVER REMEMBERS THEIR ARRIVAL.
ANONYMOUS GUIDE: "When the military moved in they had problems operating. The streets
were full of lookouts working for the narcos, keeping them informed on the soldiers' locations.
NARRATOR: THE ARMY BEGAN DETAINING "HALCONES" --KIDS WITH WALKIE TALKIES -
- WHO SERVED AS LOOKOUTS FOR THE ZETAS.
BUT SOON THEY WERE SWEEPING THE STREETS AND PICKING UP ANY CHILDREN
NOT IN SCHOOL. MANY WERE NEVER SEEN AGAIN.
ANONYMOUS GUIDE: They began to kill kids. They were killing really little kids. Any kid with a
walkie talkie.
And now what's happening is that the kids have friends - and even if they have nothing to do
with the cartels - if they happen to be hanging around in the wrong place, the soldiers will pick
them up to, too. They will disappear."
MAMA LUPITA: "We have seen that many children have died at the hands of soldiers - maybe
because they are in the crossfire. But when they see them up close, they see they are not men
they are children, young boys."
NARRATOR: THE MILITARY DENIES TARGETING CHILDREN.
BUT IN THE PAST YEAR THE ARMY HAS DETAINED 473 MINORS FOR BEING PART OF
DRUGS GANGS AND ORGANIZED CRIME.
HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS ESTIMATE THAT THERE ARE MORE THAN 30,000 UNDERAGE
CHILDREN ENGAGED IN DRUG TRAFFICKING, KIDNAPPING , SMUGGLING, EXTORTION,
PIRACY AND MURDER.
MAMA LUPITA "Sometimes they become victims for just 100 to 200 pesos. Or for some chips
or candy, or just for a meal."
NARRATOR: MEXICO HAS A LENIENT JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM MEANT TO
PROTECT CHILDREN FROM HARSH PUNISHMENTS. BUT THE DRUG GANGS KNOW
THIS AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SYSTEM.
THERE ARE CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS 10 YEARS OLD PUT ON PATROLS GUARDING
LARGE PORTIONS OF THE SMUGGLING ROUTES.
ANONYMOUS GUIDE: "This is the highway that takes you to Piedras Negras. When things
were really bad this highway was known as the "highway of death." It is one of the main arteries
and it is used a lot by young narcos.
You'll see little kids 10,11, 13 or 15, no older than 18 and they show up with guns to shut down
the highway. You'll see grown men, tough guys who drive semis brought to their knees by these
kids with guns."
NARRATOR: GANG MEMBERS DIE EVERY DAY SO THESE CHILD SOLDIERS ARE
RAPIDLY REPLENISHING THE RANKS OF THE NARCO ARMIES. THEY CAN EXPECT TO
MOVE QUICKLY FROM LOOKOUT TO STREET SOLDIER.
THE CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING FOUND A YOUNG MAN WHO HAD
JOINED THE ZETAS WHEN WAS THIRTEEN YEARS OLD.
SICARIO: "I started working a corner and ended up in a car with armed men. It's not a game.
It's for real."
It got to the point where I was always looking over my shoulder looking to see who's coming - I
didn't even trust my friends.
You walk by, and people stare at you, they're afraid of you when you come around."
NARRATOR: HE TOLD US HE SOON BEGAN CARRYING OUT TARGETED EXECUTIONS
AS A SICARIO, OR ASSASSIN. AND BEFORE HIS 17TH BIRTHDAY, HE HAD KILLED 13
PEOPLE.
SICARIO: "The first time it happened, I was really nervous and scared. Even though I was high
on drugs, I was really nervous. I felt the pressure. Its easy to pull the trigger, But the moment
you do that, your life changes fast. Why? Because you've got blood on your hands."
NARRATOR: THERE ARE FIVE BRIDGES THAT SPAN THE RIO GRANDE RIVER BETWEEN
NUEVO LAREDO AND LAREDO,TEXAS. WHETHER BY TRAIN, BY TRUCK, IN CARS OR
ON FOOT, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN COMMERCIAL
GOODS CROSS THE RIVER EVERY DAY.
FLORES: "We are a transportation town. Nothing more, nothing less but a transportation town.
Our geography is really what has made us as successful as we've been.
There has been the people who cross with goods that are good and goods that are bad. But that
has existed in our community forever.
GARCIA: This is the best place for drug cartels to operate. It's an easy access, once the drugs
come into the United States to use the I-H 35 corridor, the gateway for commercial goods
coming from Mexico into the US.
PENA: The largest land border crossing along the southwest border, with thousands and
thousands of trucks crossing the US Mexican border everyday. Thousands of pedestrians
crossing. A very, very lucrative market.
NARRATOR: SMUGGLERS HAD CO-EXISTED ON THIS BORDER FOR YEARS, VIOLENCE
ONLY AFFECTED THOSE INVOLVED AND THE TRADE STAYED UNDER THE RADAR.
BUT TEN YEARS AGO, A NEW CARTEL EMERGED, THE ZETAS, FORMER COMMANDOS
WHO GOT THEIR START AS ENFORCERS FOR THE GULF CARTEL, THE GROUP THAT
HAD CONTROLLED THIS AREA FOR YEARS.
BRAUN: The Zetas, who were recruited by the Gulf Cartel for one reason and one reason
alone. They were all former mexican military special forces commandos.
NARRATOR: SOON, THE ZETAS BROKE AWAY FROM THEIR EMPLOYERS AND
LAUNCHED A FULL OUT ASSAULT ON THE SMUGGLING ROUTES THEY BATTLED TWO
RIVAL CARTELS FOR CONTROL OF NUEVO LAREDO AND THE CITY WAS DEVASTATED
IN THE FIGHT.
FLORES: I could never have imagined just how bad it was going to affect the city of Nuevo
Laredo. Whether you're good or bad, you're going to thrive in a community that is thriving. For
years, the citizens were respected, the businesses were respected.
And so I could not imagine that anyone would be stupid enough to destroy a community while
trying to build themselves up and yet in fact, they did. They did that, exactly that.
NARRATOR: THE ZETAS MILITARY TACTICS OVERWHELMED THEIR ENEMIES
AND THEY WERE NOW THE MAIN RIVAL OF MEXICO'S MOST POWERFUL CRIMINAL
ORGANIZATION, THE SINALOA CARTEL.
THEY RULED THROUGH FEAR AND BUILT THEIR REPUTATION WITH SHOCKING ACTS
OF EXTREME VIOLENCE -- VIDEOTAPED AND BROADCAST ON THE INTERNET TO
INTIMIDATE THEIR RIVALS AND TERRORIZE THE COMMUNITIES THEY CONTROLLED.
THIS ASPECT OF THE ZETA BRAND WAS BEING CAREFULLY MANAGED BY A
COMMANDER NAMED MIGUEL TREVINO, A MAN WITH HIS OWN REPUTATION FOR
STAGING GORY EXECUTIONS. HE WAS THE ORGANIZATION'S PROMOTER AND ITS
PUBLIC IMAGE.
TREVINO WAS A NATIVE OF NUEVO LAREDO. AS A KID HE WASHED CARS FOR
MEMBERS OF THE GULF CARTEL AND CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF THEIR LEADER
OSIEL CARDENAS, WHO SAW SOMETHING SPECIAL IN THE YOUNG TREVINO.
BRAUN: He was born and raised in Nuevo Laredo. He knows that town inside and out. He
knows every nook and cranny. He knows the back alleys, he knows the boardrooms. There's
nothing he doesn't know.
NARRATOR: TREVINO HAD FAMILY ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER. AS A TEENAGER,
HE SPENT MOST OF HIS YEARS IN DALLAS WORKING WITH LOCAL GANGS AND
LEARNING VALUABLE LESSONS ABOUT THE ECONOMICS OF THE DRUG BUSINESS IN
THE UNITED STATES.
HE ALSO TRIED TO STEER CLEAR OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. TREVINO'S
ONLY BRUSH WITH THE LAW WAS AN ARREST FOR JOYRIDING.
BRAUN: His life in the United Sates and his time in Dallas was extraordinarily important to him
because as leader of a cartel in Mexico, you can know everything there is to know about Mexico
but the market is on the other side of the border.
He learned how Americans think, he understood America's insatiable appetite for illicit drugs. I
believe he developed a picture in his mind of how to market to that and that's another extremely
important piece to all of this because these cartels operate exactly like Fortune 100 companies
okay and it's all about marketing, it's about creating demand, its about creating a diverse
product line.
NARRATOR: THE ZETAS' BRAND, PART COMMANDO AND PART GANGSTER ASSASSIN,
WAS ALSO POPULAR IN THE UNITED STATES AND TREVINO USED IT TO RECRUIT
YOUNG BOYS.
FEELEY: "Throughout the years, the Zetas have utilized the media, especially new media, to
intimidate the people and present an image of a group of ultra violent criminals, which they are.
And that they didn't fear any authority, which in reality, they do. But they present this image of
bravura, of machismo, which in Mexico's popular culture, stuck and resonated.
NARRATOR: TREVINO SET HIS SIGHTS ON CROSS CULTURAL KIDS LIKE HIMSELF.
ROSALIO RETA WAS ANOTHER KID FROM THE BORDER. HE WAS BORN JUST OVER
THE RIO GRANDE IN LAREDO, TEXAS.
RETA: "I used to go to Nuevo Laredo like, to spend time with family. Me my mom, dad we used
to go spend holidays, Christmas, New Year's-- spend a pretty good time on both sides of the
border. My time growing up it was happy before my whole involvement with the Zetas started.
NARRATOR: IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE CENTER OF INVESTIGATIVE
REPORTING RETA TOLD US THAT TEN YEARS AGO, WHEN HE WAS ONLY 13 YEARS
OLD, HE CROSSED OVER THE BRIDGE LOOKING FOR ADVENTURE AND WAS SUCKED
INTO THE VIOLENT WORLD OF MIGUEL TREVINO.
RETA: "I went to Nuevo Laredo with one of my friends from my neighborhood. He invited me
one time to go eat. He would always brag about how his brother was working for some people in
Mexico-- Some big people like he used to say it. When we were eating he got a phone call that
he had to report to somewhere.
So we drove to a little ranch on the outskirts of Nuevo Laredo, and that's the first place I seen
people getting executed, people getting burnt alive.
Trevino was in the middle of everything. He he was the one, he was the one in charge. I know
that just by looking at that person..telling people what to do, where to go.
So.. Miguel Trevino started asking Llike, who was I? So he started like trying to intimidate me
and he asked me if I had ever killed somebody. And me not knowing what to do, what was
going on around me, I just said yes. I don't even know why I answered that. Why I said, ‘Yes.'
And that was the first time that that I had to shoot somebody. That very same night.
NARRATOR: MIGUEL TREVINO WAS RECRUITING AMERICAN TEENAGERS FOR A
SPECIAL PROJECT.
RETA WAS GOING TO BE PART OF A TEAM OF HIGHLY TRAINED ASSASSINS
OPERATING IN THE UNITED STATES.
RETA: "Miguel Trevino took me to a military training camp deep in Mexico. We had to fly there
in a helicopter. So it was the original deserters from the GAFES, giving us the training.
I received training from any type of assault rifle, handgun, hand grenades, rocket launcher.
NARRATOR: ONCE HE COMPLETED HIS TRAINING, RETA WAS SENT BACK ACROSS
THE BORDER TO THE UNITED STATES.
IN A SAFE-HOUSE IN TEXAS, HE WAS REUNITED WITH HIS CHILDHOOD FRIEND,
GABRIEL CARDONA. AS KIDS, THEY SPENT HOURS TOGETHER PLAYING FIRST
PERSON SHOOTER VIDEO GAMES. NOW, THEY WERE TRAINED FOR THE REAL THING.
BUCH: "The Zetas were running several sicario crews on the US side of the border in Laredo
and one of those was the crew being run by Gabriel Cardona and then one of the guys who
worked for him was Rosalio Reta, a very young man who had sort of ingratiated himself with the
Zeta leadership. He was a friend of Cardona's but had been able to sort of befriend high ranking
Zetas in Mexico.
NARRATOR: RETA'S WIFE RECALLS HIM DESCRIBING HIS CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH
TREVINO AS IF THEY WERE FAMILY, LIKE A BIG BROTHER.
RETA'S EX-WIFE: He actually told me that he became close with Miguel Trevino. He became
real close with the big boss. He trusted him. He gave Rosalio the big jobs, he was proud of the
work that he did, He basically took him underneath his wing and trained him to be just like him.
BRAUN: That's the pitch that they use to young men and more and more sadly, women, who
look up to them with almost mythical kind of a status that they achieve. They're constantly
preaching to them that you too could be the next Miguel Trevino.
NARRATOR: TO BE LIKE MIGUEL TREVINO IS TO COMMIT BRUTAL ACTS OF EXTREME
VIOLENCE AND RELISH IN THE VICTIM'S PAIN.
A DEA WIRETAP CAPTURED RETA AND CARDONA BRAGGING ABOUT THEIR CRIMES.
ON SCREEN: "He cried, "I'm your friend!' well listen ***hole friend, shut your trap. And, POOM,
I grabbed a f***ing bottle and, HUAS, I slit his whole damn stomach, to h*** with him. And,
POOM, blood was gushing out and I put a little cup to it and, POOM POOM, I filled it with blood
and I dedicated it to my Santa Muerte.
NARRATOR: TREVINO UNLEASHED HIS TEENAGE ASSASSINS ONTO THE STREETS OF
LAREDO, TEXAS.
GARCIA: What we start seeing is the type of murders is something we hadn't seen before.
People being killed with AK-47s in broad daylight, either in evening hours or rush hour, double
homicide, over 100 shots fired in broad daylight.
NARRATOR: THE HIGH PROFILE MURDERS ON U.S. SOIL LED TO A MULTI-AGENCY
INVESTIGATION INVOLVING THE DEA, FBI, STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.
GARCIA: Collecting investigations of the Zetas-related murders, we started seeing that they
were using teams of hitmen that were young teenagers. The majority of them were U.S.
citizens that had received training- military training in the Mexican side by the Zetas to commit
these types of murders. So we're talking about tactical entries leading to residents, technical
extractions -- a person out a vehicles, countersurveillance, explosive techniques, high power
weapons.
NARRATOR: BUT AFTER HE BOTCHED JOB IN MEXICO RETA KNEW HIS PUNISHMENT
WOULD BE DEATH SO HE TURNED TO THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN CHASING HIM FROM
THE START. DETECTIVE ROBERTO GARCIA.
FACING THE WRATH OF MIGUEL TREVINO HE KNEW HE WOULD BE SAFER LOCKED UP
IN A U.S. PRISON AND AGREED TO BE A WITNESS AGAINST THE ZETAS.
DETECTIVE GARCIA WAS THE FIRST ONE TO INTERROGATE HIM.
GARCIA: "How did you get involved with these bastards?"
RETA: "I liked what I was doing. After I killed the first person. I felt like Superman.
GARCIA: Why?
RETA: Because I was good at it."
NARRATOR: RETA'S COCKY ATTITUDE AND LACK OF REMORSE WOULD BRING HIM
INSTANT NOTORIETY.
WITH THEIR TATTOOED FACES HE AND CARDONA FIT RIGHT IN TO NARCO CULTURE,
THE LATEST GANGSTER FAD AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES AND
MEXICO.
AND IN THIS SUB CULTURE, THE AMERICAN BABY ZETAS, AS SOME CALLED THEM,
WERE HEROS, IDOLIZED BY TEENAGE WANNABES.
ALONZO PENA, GREW UP ON THE BORDER AND REMEMBERS A DIFFERENT WORLD.
PENA: "It was a small town. There was a border patrol checkpoint, it's probably one of the most
active U.S. border patrol checkpoints in the United States. My Little League baseball coach was
a border patrol agent.
When I was growing up, I kind of idolized these guys. That was something that I'm sure had an
influence on me when I was growing up, what I wanted to be.
NARRATOR: PENA RECENTLY RETIRED AS DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATION
CONTROL AND ENFORCEMENT,
HE HAS SEEN THE IMPACT THAT THE ZETAS HAVE ON YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING ALONG
THE BORDER.
PENA: I spoke to some school teachers that teach high school in the South Texas area. They
were telling me how concerned t hey were when they'd see kids come to school with Zeta
markings on their notebooks,stickers or labels on their cars, graffiti. These kids were adopting
those kind of symbols, you know schools on our side of the border. There's no question that
they have been successful in a branding of who they are, and attracting young people to that
brand.
FLORES: And so I worry what are these children going to do. And sure enough, the bad guy
was also looking at the same thing. And so any job was usually anything that was illegal. And
there were no other jobs available, and that's always been a concern for the border.
NARRATOR: THE ZETAS TERRITORY EXTENDS BEYOND LAREDO TO OTHER BORDER
TOWNS LIKE EAGLE PASS. THIS CITY HAS ALSO SEEN AN EPIDEMIC OF CHILD
RECRUITMENT BY THE ZETAS.
BRUCE BALLOU CAME TO EAGLE PASS 3 YEARS AGO TO HEAD UP THE JUVENILE
PROBATION OFFICE.
BALLOU: "The first year that I was here we had over forty kids arrested for felony offenses for
transporting or in possession of massive quantities of marijuana.
And, you know the kids were poor. We're the second poorest county in the state of Texas.
Sixty percent of the people that live in this community live below poverty level, and so when,
when people would approach these kids and pay them large sums of cash to, drive for twenty
minutes. Drive a load up from the river, you know, it was a situation that kids couldn't hardly say
no to.
The kids and I and the probation staff built what you see here. You know when our kids do
something like this and get to stand back and say hey I did this. That's pretty sharp. That'sthat's
us getting involved with those kids in a way that makes a difference. You know we can
punish them all we want to, but at the end of the day that doesn't work.
NARRATOR: SO BALLOU BEGAN A DIVERSION PROGRAM TO DISCOURAGE KIDS FROM
CONTINUING TO WORK FOR THE CARTELS.
THREE YEARS LATER HE'S SEEING POSITIVE RESULTS.
BALLOU: We've started putting together this process and the numbers are starting to bear out.
We've had a 48% decrease in felony crimes. We've had a 98% decrease in kids hauling major
drug loads in this community.
"Give yourself a hand, guy."
The kids are just better off.
NARRATOR: IN JULY OF 2013, ZETA LEADER MIGUEL TREVINO WAS DRIVING THE
INFAMOUS CARRETERA DE LA MUERTE, THE HIGHWAY OF DEATH THAT OUR DRIVER
HAD SHOWED US JUST DAYS EARLIER.
TREVINO WAS ALLEGEDLY ON THE WAY TO VISIT TO HIS NEWBORN SON WHEN HE
WAS ARRESTED.
AFTER 6 YEARS ON THE FBI'S MOST WANTED LIST HIS REIGN AS LEADER OF THE
ZETAS CAME TO AN END.
THE CAPTURE OF THEIR LEADER HAD LITTLE IMPACT ON THE ZETA'S CRIMINAL
OPERATIONS. AND HIS LEGACY OF PREDATORY RECRUITMENT OF CHILDREN
CONTINUES.
ROSALIO RETA IS NOW SERVING AN 80-YEAR SENTENCE IN A TEXAS PRISON FOR
ONE OF THE MURDERS HE COMMITTED.
HIS EX-WIFE BELIEVES HE SHOULD NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS CRIMES.
RETA'S EX-WIFE: "The people responsible in my eyes are the Zetas, and they're responsible
because they took a 13-year-old child and gave him a gun, and told him it's either you shoot him
or we're going to kill you. And at thirteen thats going to put fear into anybody.
They programmed him to just be heartless, a heartless killer. To not care about abnybody else
in the human race.
And that life is not one to get out of. Once you're in, you're in. There's no way out."
NARRATOR: RETA IS LUCKY TO BE ALIVE TO TELL HIS STORY. FOR MOST OF THE
YOUNG PEOPLE DRAWN INTO THE NARCO WORLD, THE STORY ENDS IN A SHALLOW
GRAVE.
THIS YEAR EVIDENCE OF THIS MASSIVE LOSS OF LIFE IS BEING UNCOVERED IN THE
STATE OF COAHUILA, MEXICO BY A GOVERNMENT PROJECT TO LOCATE THOUSANDS
OF MISSING PERSONS . THEY RECENTLY DISCOVERED HUNDREDS OF SETS OF
HUMAN REMAINS, MANY THE BODIES OF CHILDREN BURIED AT NARCO RANCHES
ALONG THE BORDER.
THE CHILDREN WHO SOMEHOW SURVIVE THE NARCO WORLD. LIVE WITH THE
NIGHTMARES OF THEIR PAST.
RETA: It gets to the point where I can't even stand myself sometimes I wake up in the middle of
the night thinking about everything I've seen, especially that first day.
SICARIO: I was sure something was going to happen to me one day. When that day came, I
had to face God and I begged and screamed from deep inside for him to help me. Praying not to
be killed, not to be killed.
MAMA LUPITA: There is no more innocence today. They talk a lot about death. About the death
of relatives, about how people have been killed. They have seen horrible things.
I said ‘Oh my God, the life of the children is so dangerous. And from there on, I said, ‘everyone
who knocks on my door, I will help.'
NARRATOR: MAMA LUPITA IS KEEPING HER DOORS OPEN FOR THE NEW CHILDREN
WHO ARRIVE DAY AT CASA HOGAR ELIM EVERYDAY.
MAMA LUPITA: "Help us, Lord, the children are sick."
CHILDREN: "Help us, Lord, the children are sick."
MAM LUPITA: "Save the children and young people from danger and drugs."
CHILDREN: "Save the children and young people from danger and drugs."
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