How Cartels Use Facebook Ads to Trick Border Residents Into Smuggling Drugs Into U.S.
Cartels are tricking border residents into smuggling drugs from Mexico into the U.S. by luring them with Facebook posts advertising job opportunities.
The head of Homeland Security Investigations in El Paso, Texas, revealed to Border Report how agents are seeing "quite a few cases" of individuals recruited on Facebook to transport money to money exchange houses.
"However, a vast majority of these solicitations are fraudulent," Erik P. Breitzke said.
Typically, an individual interested in the alleged job opportunity is directed to Juarez, Mexico to interview with an apparent boss for the position, Border Report wrote.
The interview takes place in a random office or parking lot and unbeknownst to the interviewee, someone secretly goes to hide drugs in their vehicle.
"These organizations are taking these folks vehicles, secreting drugs in those vehicles and those folks are getting stopped and caught at the ports of entry," Breitzke detailed.
A common ad posting identified by HSI agents across the U.S. says "Our company is looking for individuals who are able to cross into El Paso. We work directly with the (money exchange houses) and transport money from El Paso and Ciudad, Juarez (Mexico)," according to Border Report.
Santa Cruz County, Arizona, Sheriff David Hathaway told Fox News that "90 percent of the mules, the ones that are bringing the drugs into the U.S., are U.S. citizens."
He added most drugs enter the U.S. from Mexico through legal ports of entry.
If the individual lured by a Facebook ad makes it past customs at the border, they are told to head to a money exchange location to deliver the money or paperwork, according to Border Report.
When they arrive, someone will unload the drugs from their car, making the drug smuggling operation a success.
"If an opportunity seems too good, it probably is," Breitzke warned. "It has been enough of a trend that we needed to alert the community that this is happening."
He said being caught with contraband in a car runs the risk of an arrest and conviction.
"Do not allow yourself to be used as a smuggler," he said.
U.S. Border Patrol's most recent data for nationwide checkpoint drug seizures shows that in the month of May, 758 pounds of marijuana was seized along with 311 pounds of methamphetamines and 179 pounds of cocaine.
Other drugs seized were, 129 pounds of heroin, 104 pounds of fentanyl and two pounds of drugs listed as "other."
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Facebook but did not hear back in time for publication.
