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. Both Reta and Cardona were born to a families with relatives on both sides of the U.S.-Texas border. It was real hard for me. 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. In that moment, even though it was another man he was instructed to kill, Reta's life was over. out-of-date, incorrect offense/sentence details, record expunged, etc), please send an email to: Temp Release Prison, Texas Inmates & Offenders, https://offender.tdcj.texas.gov/OffenderSearch/offenderDetail.action?sid=06748142, Search is on for inmate accidentally released from Colorado jail, Search for Escaped Inmate in Ellis County, Search underway after inmate escapes in Sabine Parish, Three inmates escape Athens County correctional facility, one apprehended, Man Accused of Helping Callahan County Inmate Escape Self-Surrenders, Oklahoma DOC unveils new inmate search feature, Search continues for Inmate who escaped from Lawrence County work release, Correctional Facility or Supervision Authority, Department of Corrections Inmate / Offender Record. . Forever: This photo taken the year before their arrests reads 'parejas por siempre' - partners forever. This is a carousel. It gives you that sense that you could do anything without being touched and having that sense of power, Cardona said. The money and lifestyle were so seductive and intoxicating that both teenagers dropped out of school and started living the high-rolling, lavish lifestyle. TRAGEDY: Mexico's drug war claims thousands of lives every single year (Image: GETTY) 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. Michael. Rebecca Salinas is a digital producer at the San Antonio Express-News. 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. Gabriel Cardona and Rosalio 'Bart' (as in Bart Simpson) Reta are American citizens of the border town of Laredo, Texas. He was also a member of the Barrio Azteca, a gang based in El Paso prisons. A lot of people get dragged into this lifestyle, but what we fail to see is we do it to ourselves. Rosalio Reta photos, including production stills, premiere photos and other event photos, publicity photos, behind-the-scenes, and more. He was a good student, but he was more interested in what was happening across the river from his town, in the cantinas and barrios of Nuevo Laredo. Rosalio Reta, convicted drug cartel assassin Over the years the ramshackle neighborhood has developed into a discarded border region where homes sit on dilapidated foundations and families live. Although Z-40 virtually ruled northern Mexico without fear, as Reta came to know him he began to see Trevino as a regular guy. They wave that power, that cash, the cars, the easy money. Their short but bloody careers came crashing down swiftly, one after the other. Cardona and Reta say they were paid thousands of dollars a week just to be available ready at all times to answer the call to kill. "These organizations, these cartels, they function like a Fortune 500 company," Webb County, Texas, prosecutor Uriel Druker said. Release Calendar DVD & Blu-ray Releases Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets In Theaters Coming Soon Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Edgar was convicted in juvenile court in July 2011 of homicide and organized crime charges, and sentenced to three years in custody, the maximum allowed. As '24 nears, FL Gov. 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. She was gunned down in front of the state capitol in Chihuahua City during a protest against the drug cartels influence in the Mexican government. Rosalio Reta was just 13 years old when Miguel Trevio, leader of the ruthless Zetas, the paramilitary wing of Mexicos Gulf Cartel, recruited him as a killer. The job of a cartel assassin isnt one most people grow old and retire from. 1 of 3 Authorities say Rosalio Reta Jr., 17, is a member of the ``Zetillas,'' young enforcers for the Gulf Cartel. Police say that one of the crimes for which Cardona is serving time is the kidnap and murder of two American teenagers, during which he slashed them with a bottle, collected their blood in a glass and toasted the La Santa Muerte, the personification of death. These notable hitmen worked in and around the U.S.-Mexico border, involving themselves with powerful and violent drug cartels. 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. In Chasing the Scream, journalist Johann Hari spends three years trying to understand the war on drugs by interviewing hundreds of people who have fought on its front lines. Since age 14 I was in court. The American teen had never before met anyone who carried a pistol adorned with such an unforgettable decoration: the number 40 encrusted in diamonds on the handle. Rosalio Reta, convicted drug cartel assassin Over the years the ramshackle neighborhood has developed into a discarded border region where homes sit on dilapidated foundations and families live. Click through the slideshow to view infamous Mexican hitmen. Reta and other teenagers were groomed and made to carry out assassinations on both sides of the border. For him, there is no future. Reta, a U.S. citizen, was extradited last year from Mexico to face charges in Flores's death. Reta has spoken about his past at various times over the seven years since his arrest. . ", In Cardona's interrogation tape, there are clues that "Los Zetas" are reaching deeper and deeper into the United States. The friends were mingling with questionable characters but he was curious about the narco world. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. He's the author of two odd books of fiction, 'Ivyland' and 'True False. And like everything in the violent world of drug cartels, unraveling truth and myth seems fleeting. They were raised in poverty and with the many problems inherent to poverty. Watch how the teens turned into drug cartel hitmen . 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. Some like it, NOT! Jun. CNNs Ismael Estrada contributed to this report. He says he made "guiso," or stew, with their bodies. Investigators say Cardona and Reta were paid $500 a week each as a retainer, to sit and wait for the call to kill. He doesnt spend a lot of time thinking about the violence he wielded, he said. While in prison, Zavala spoke to middle and high school students as the principal speaker in the Libre de Prisiones program, according to Proceso. Rosalio Reta is on Facebook. Reta, 24, and Cardona, 26, still bear signs of their years as feared assassins. His mind isnt haunted by violent images from his former life. "They're here, they're here in the United States.". But this was a put-on, Slater writes. Rosalio Reta, in some of his initial media interviews, expressed glassy-eyed contrition, casting himself as a hapless victim of grave forces beyond his control. He graduated to smuggling drugs and weapons across the Rio Grande. But the kind of mischief Reta would get up to in his young life couldn't be more different from the cartoon kid's boyish pranks. Cardona says it wasnt long before he also became a drug cartel assassin. Reta was a young boy headed down the wrong path. The mysterious drug lord who ordered Reta to shoot the stranger at the ranch that day, Reta says, was Miguel Angel Trevino. He allegedly deserted the army in 1999 and was a top lieutenant to current Zeta leader Heriberto Lazcano. Sergio Rodrigues 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. Now 20, Rosalio Reta is sitting on the other side of a thick glass window, speaking into a telephone handset in the visiting area of a Texas prison. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Investigators say Reta and another American recruit were paid $500 a week on retainer to sit and wait for a call to kill. The newspaper states Baeza killed Zavala for identifying him to authorities for his role in the murders. Then they were paid up to $50,000 and 2 kilos of cocaine for carrying out a hit. Rosalio Retas career as a teen drug cartel assassin had begun. Inmate Search Alabama Arizona Arkansas Federal Bureau of Prisons California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana ', 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. 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. Rosalio Reta in a Texas state prison in 2009 at age 19. Credit. 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. DAVID MONROY/AFP/Getty Images Show More Show Less 5 of 15 Rosalio Reta. One of the most feared and powerful drug kingpins in the world, Trevino took drug cartel brutality to never-before-seen levels. For Reta, the Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo, with its nightlife, its danger and its glamor, intrigued the restless teen, and one fateful night, his curiosity was to be sated. They're considered ruthless in how they carry out attacks. Cardona was arrested and pleaded guilty to killing seven men and to conspiracy to kidnap and kill in a foreign country. "There are sleeper cells in the U.S.," said Detective Garcia. Reta and Cardona agreed to give CNN rare interviews from the Texas prisons where both men are serving life sentences for murder. Movies. I couldn't take it anymore. They brought him to a ranch where, according to Reta, 'They were torturing people and getting information from them. He still faces separate charges in another killing in Laredo that was allegedly carried out on the orders of the. Gladiator sequel starring Paul Mescal gets release date CONFIRMED for late 2024 - 24 years after original . Denounced by Mexicos Catholic Church, Santa Muerte is a popular symbol among drug traffickers. The comments below have not been moderated. Before his arrest, he was on the FBI's most wanted list. Movies. But then there are those eyes tattooed on his eyelids. I loved doing it, killing that first person," Reta says on the videotape obtained by 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. Assistant District Attorney Jesse Guillen said the trial in the second case against Reta would likely start soon and would give authorities another chance to add time to the teen's prison sentence. 4, 2008) From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research RETA v. STATE Court of Appeals of Texas, Fourth District, San Antonio March 17, 2009 Rosalio Reta has claimed to police that he killed 30 people. Opinion: Horror wont end with cartel leaders arrest. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. He was sentenced to more than 80 years in prison. Refine any search. Despite Reta's youth, "he's a cold-blooded killer," Guillen said. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. He took his head off just by shooting it.. 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. Teachers and parents! ", 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? Im really a good person, he said. Lopez allegedly worked for Teo, a drug lord from the Tijuana area, and allegedly helped the drug cartel dispose of hundreds of victims by dissolving them in acid. Menu. 'Cell' of young enforcersThe accused ring leader in the Flores killing, Jesus "Jesse" Gonzales, fled to Mexico after making bail. 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. Whatever Reta's true feelings about his past are, the facts have remained consistent. A teenager accused of being a hit man for a drug cartel pleaded guilty to murder Thursday, abruptly ending a trial that exposed the cartel's workings in the U.S. and Mexico. Trevio was in the middle of everything, Reta says of the burnings and torture he witnessed, and soon began to intimidate Reta into doing his ghastly bidding. All too quickly, he found himself, a young teenager, witnessing Trevios frequent executions at a small ranch house in Nuevo Laredo. The Webb County Courthouse was heavily guarded. In the statement, Reta admitted being the driver of the car they used to go kill Flores. But what we fail to see is that we do it to ourselves.. Featuring his first-ever on-camera interview, this is the extraordinary story of Rosalio 'Bart' Reta. When Reta arrived at the ranch, it was a crash course in drug cartel culture. "They were just kids themselves, waiting around playing PlayStation or Xbox, waiting around for the order to be given.". The cartel leader looked at Reta and ordered him to shoot and kill a man tied up on the ground. Rosalio Reta(born 1990) was an enforcer for the Los Zetas gang in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas during the 2000s. Reta's first kill was at 13 years old. Oscar Cainer tells all. This Houston rodeo food vendor wants you to eat his rattlesnake. Get Driving Directions to Temp Release Prison, Texas. OG Shadow's channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGlNhxVZxIJ_7KhgdmaO2QQInterview with OG Shadow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kDPbfrmEncPrison Questions Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPT_cCpNMvT4gP9OHCrUphCxJYdH06b7EShaun's true crime podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPT_cCpNMvT50d_7cJ55ciKoZEY8q_YPtShaun's books: https://shaunattwood.com/shaun/books/Shaun's UK tour dates: http://shaunattwood.com/category/events/Website: http://shaunattwood.com/ Blog: http://jonsjailjournal.blogspot.co.uk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/shaunattwood Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shaun-Attwood/228166633865948#cartel #narcos #warondrugs #mexico For every important quote on the FBI 's most wanted list siempre ' - partners.... A digital producer at the San Antonio Express-News drug cartels, unraveling truth and myth seems.... 'Re here in the statement, Reta says, was Miguel Angel Trevino the,... 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