"We have to remember that the United States is the market they are trying to get to. Its a violent world.. For his part, Cardona is not as remorseful. In interviews with CNN, Laredo police detectives and prosecutors . Cardona was also making a name for himself at that time, and impressing the same narco leaders. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. I stopped studying.. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. H/T Gawker | Photo via The I Files/YouTube, Miles Klee is a novelist and web culture reporter. 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. He was allegedly part of a "cell" of young enforcers that followed rivals and tracked members of the cartel's own ranks. Over the years the ramshackle neighborhood has developed into a discarded border region where homes sit on dilapidated foundations and families live under crumbling rooftops. 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. CNN has also obtained detailed court records as well as several hours of police interrogation videos. They were raised in poverty and with the many problems inherent to poverty. 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. He's the author of two odd books of fiction, 'Ivyland' and 'True False. I never thought that I was going to die in prison.. Remorseless: Cardona appears unrepentant for his nightmarish crimes. They lived in a large house in a nice part of Laredo and drove expensive cars. Discovery Company. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Reta was one of 10 children and Cardona was one of five boys whose father disappeared early in his life. 6 Cabo hotels for your spring break vacation, How to score cheap flights (and mistake fares) in 2023, Escape to Long Beach, Washington before the summer crowds, Amazon is having a big sale on Canon cameras and lenses, Score Apple AirPods for under $100 on Amazon today, Stanleys huge water bottle is less than $35 on Amazon, This Costco membership discount puts $30 back in your pocket. Then they were paid up to $50,000 and 2 kilos of cocaine for carrying out a hit. "I thought I was Superman. Menu. It was the ease with which the boys could cross back and forth across the border that made them valuable to the Mexican Zetas drug cartel. Absolute control, Reta said of Trevinos power. The following correctional supervision record (the "Record") was collected from the official state department of corrections website (see below for source link). It just happened., I always had thought that if I die, its going to be by a bullet in the head, he said. He and Reta became Zetas hitmen, training in various types of weapons before being unleashed on the streets of Laredo. That clue unraveled the chilling reality and led police to arrest Gabriel Cardona and Rosalio Reta. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. A detective, sitting across the table, asks him how it all started. He was one of the first persons I seen to cut somebodys head off, Reta says of the notoriously bloodthirsty Trevio, who ascended to the top of the violent cartel with acts of spectacular cruelty. He was sentenced to more than 80 years in prison. 'How much can business take?' In a gun battle, in a confrontation, hes the first one to get out of his truck and lead his people. 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. After that, I didnt have no life.. When Reta arrived at the ranch, it was a crash course in drug cartel culture. 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. He was freed in November 2013, and sent to a support center in San Antonio. He knew he'd pay for the mistake with his life. I learned about drugs, theft, vandalism and fights. The newspaper states Baeza killed Zavala for identifying him to authorities for his role in the murders. Zavala was sentenced to life in prison after killing 16 people at a bar in Chihuahua in 2012. On a dusty, remote ranch across the Rio Grande from this Texas border town, an intimidating drug lord stood over 13-year-old Rosalio Reta and handed him a gun. 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. Instead, Hari visits a rural Texas prison to interview a young man named. He took his head off just by shooting it.. He said he was under influence of drugs and forced to carry out murders, or cartel leaders would kill him. But then there are those eyes tattooed on his eyelids. The mysterious drug lord who ordered Reta to shoot the stranger at the ranch that day, Reta says, was Miguel Angel Trevino. I wasn't living my life,' he told CNN. Before Trevios capture and arrest by Mexican marines a week ago, the Center for Investigative Reporting spoke with Reta about his horrific experience as a murderous cog in Los Zetas. Both Reta and Cardona were born to a families with relatives on both sides of the U.S.-Texas border. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the. 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. Eventually Laredo police detectives zeroed in on the teen assassins. Humans could have wings, tentacles or an extra ARM 'in the next few decades' thanks to leaps in human DIY fruit and veg! Wife is shocked after husband of 15 years asks for permission to have an affair: 'I don't know what to do'. Rosalio "Bart" Reta, 17, was immediately sentenced to 40 years in prison. Historica Wiki is a FANDOM Games Community. 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. "These organizations, these cartels, they function like a Fortune 500 company," Webb County, Texas, prosecutor Uriel Druker said. Struggling with distance learning? "They're here, they're here in the United States.". It gives you that sense that you could do anything without being touched and having that sense of power, Cardona said. Rosalio Reta was born in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico in 1990, and he was raised on both sides of the United States-Mexico border. They brought him to a ranch where, according to Reta, 'They were torturing people and getting information from them. I have no idea, Cardona said. Hari can only imagine how Rubi Fraire, Juan Manuel Olgun, and, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. I couldn't take it anymore. For each ordered hit, they said, they were paid an extra fee about $10,000, and sometimes even more depending on the importance of the targeted victim. Some like it, NOT! The way the content is organized. Rosalio Reta is on Facebook. (Prosecutors say during his trial Reta used make-up to cover the facial markings.) Movies. 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. "They tried to take the gun away, but it was like taking candy from kid.". Reta pleaded guilty to two murders and was handed two prison sentences, of 30 and 40 years. 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. After some prodding, Cardona estimates he probably killed close to 30 people in less than two years. OG Shadow's channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGlNhxVZxIJ_7KhgdmaO2QQInterview with OG Shadow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kDPbfrmEncPrison Ques. 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. At age 13, the Laredo, Texas, native was brought into the notorious Zetas drug cartel across the border in Mexico, where . Thats a day that Im never going to be able to forget. 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. Reta's face became covered in tattoo markings. Reta killed his first victim at 13 years old, when a drug lord handed him a gun and commanded him to shoot another man. I will look you in the eyes while you kill me.'. Cardona had eyeballs tattooed on his eyelids. TV Shows. One of the most feared and powerful drug kingpins in the world, Trevino took drug cartel brutality to never-before-seen levels. Young Guns Photos. He is only in his 20s, but he's facing a lifetime of monotony in solitary confinement. 04-07-00564-CR (Tex. 'The best we could do'Reta decided to plead guilty, but retain his right to appeal, after his statement to police was allowed as evidence over his attorney's objections, said the attorney, Eduardo Pena. Menu. Escajeda is also presumably responsible for the killing of anti-crime activist Benjamin LeBaron. I couldnt believe what I was seeing. As a 13-year-old, Reta was at school. LAREDO, Texas (CNN) -- Rosalio Reta sits at a table inside a Laredo Police Department interrogation room. Cardona and Reta could move freely and easily back and forth across the border with Mexico. At an age when most kids are starting high school, Texas teen Rosalio Reta, now 24, was carrying out bloody murders for one of Mexico's most sadistic and violent drug cartels. . He was also a member of the Barrio Azteca, a gang based in El Paso prisons. 1 most stressful city for U.S. workers, Turner: State takeover of Houston ISD could happen next week, Bun B on bringing Southern rap stars to Houston's Rodeo, The only Houston rodeo food guide you'll need, Former KHOU anchor turns layoff into lucrative real estate career, Houston is in for dust and gray skies as Texas haboob arrives, Astros GM provides update on Yordan Alvarez's hand injury, Houston leaders delay vote on Hobby Airport concesssions contract, Watch: Houston Astros' Luis Garcia debuts new windup, Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious on-air interview with reporter, 'Call me a Nazi': Former Houston-area pastor calls for state book ban. To make a point, sometimes Trevino sent messages along with decapitated corpses of rival cartel members, said Reta. When orders from cartel leaders came, the men would begin hunting their prey. At 17, he was convicted for two murders and sentenced to 70 years in a Texas states prison in 2007. Michael. TV Shows. All Rights Reserved. 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. "One thing you wonder all the time: What made them this way?" Did you encounter any technical issues? Trevino, 40, faces charges of organized crime, homicide, torture and money laundering, a Mexican government security spokesman told reporters in July. Cardona was arrested and pleaded guilty to killing seven men and to conspiracy to kidnap and kill in a foreign country. Rosalio Reta has claimed to police that he killed 30 people. That same night, Trevino had Reta execute his first victim, and he became part of a team of highly-skilled assassins chosen from Mexican-American youths after training in handguns, assault rifles, and rocket launchers. Teenagers go there to drink and dance, but cartel members lurk there, keeping an eye out for possible recruits. Cardona and Reta didnt last long in that world. It was real hard for me. Reta has spoken about his past at various times over the seven years since his arrest. 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. Reta and Cardona agreed to give CNN rare interviews from the Texas prisons where both men are serving life sentences for murder. 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. Couple find note in chimney that reveals their 290,000 house was 100 times cheaper 50 years ago. 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. If you know nothing about him, its hard to imagine he could have been a lethal assassin. Its eating me inside little by little, and theres nothing I can do or say to justify my actions.. Jun. Trevino had built control and protection systems to insulate his organization at every level from law enforcement agencies and politicians. A close friend, Gabriel Cardona, now 26, lived nearby. He stood over the 13-year-old and handed him a gun. When you see those, they seem like the window into the cold, calculated soul that made Cardona a notoriously effective killer for the Zetas. Meet Rosalio Reta, an inmate in Texas who killed over 30 people during his time as a hitmanstarting at age 13for Miguel Trevio, the just-captured boss of the brutal Zeta drug cartel. 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. Although Z-40 virtually ruled northern Mexico without fear, as Reta came to know him he began to see Trevino as a regular guy. 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 Cardona responds, "I've heard in Dallas and Houston.". The third was. 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 money and lifestyle were so seductive and intoxicating that both teenagers dropped out of school and started living the high-rolling, lavish lifestyle. Denounced by Mexicos Catholic Church, Santa Muerte is a popular symbol among drug traffickers. DAVID MONROY/AFP/Getty Images Show More Show Less 5 of 15 Rosalio Reta. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." 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. Posted on Jul 22, 2013Updated on Jun 1, 2021, 10:57 am CDT. Its hard to pinpoint just how much money they were paid. Gabriel Cardona, who shows his tattooed eyelids, worked as a hit man for a Mexican cartel. The question remains: How did two American teenagers become killers-for-hire for a Mexican drug cartel? Reta didn&#8217 Some are teenagers, some are from Texas, and some are still on the run. At first glance, the violence looked like isolated, gangland-style killings. Complete your free account to request a guide. Watch Anderson Cooper 360 weeknights 8pm ET. Over a nearly one-year period starting in June 2005, the border town of Laredo, Texas, saw a string of seven murders. People getting tortured, killed, decapitated. What's on TV & Streaming Top 250 TV Shows Most Popular TV Shows Browse TV Shows by Genre TV News India TV Spotlight. 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. Can Alperen Sengun become a passable defender for the Rockets? In this conversation. 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. Reta and other teenagers were groomed and made to carry out assassinations on both sides of the border. Mr. Reta and his friend Gabriel Cardona, 22, are serving what amount to life terms. Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs 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. 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. IE 11 is not supported. Both teenagers received six-month military-style training on a Mexican ranch. He says he made "guiso," or stew, with their bodies. But this was a put-on, Slater writes. As the call ends, Cardona says, "There are three left to kill, there are three left. Given six months of military training in Mexico, he was sent across the border. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. It was real hard for me. Updated 1 of 3 Authorities say Rosalio Reta Jr., 17, is a member of the ``Zetillas,'' young enforcers for the Gulf Cartel. Many Zeta leaders often use numbers as their cartel nicknames. They're considered ruthless in how they carry out attacks. 2023 Cable News Network. CNNs Ismael Estrada contributed to this report. Investigators say Reta and another American recruit were paid $500 a week on retainer to sit and wait for a call to kill. Rebecca Salinas is a digital producer at the San Antonio Express-News. Officials initially thought Zavala died from a heart attack after he was found having convulsions in his cell, the El Paso Times reported . Investigators found a fingerprint on a cigarette box inside the suspected shooter's get-away car. -Graham S. The timeline below shows where the character Rosalio Reta appears in, Chapter 9: Bart Simpson and the Angel of Jurez, drug war. Despite Reta's youth, "he's a cold-blooded killer," Guillen said. 'It gets to a point where I can't even stand myself. After he botched a job in Mexico, he knew that he would face Trevino's death, so he surrendered to the law and agreed to testify against the Zetas. 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. Investigators say Cardona and Reta were paid $500 a week each as a retainer, to sit and wait for the call to kill. 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. Be the first to contribute! 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. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. 'I've come to regret everything I've done. Reta dropped out of school in sixth grade, Cardona left in the ninth. Garcia told CNN. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Witnesses testified Wednesday that Reta and two other men working for the cartel were paid $15,000 to kill a Laredo man in January 2006. 'It was like regular military training, like what they do here in the United States,' he told CNN. Reta and Cardona were paid a $500 retainer each week. The third member of the group, Gabriel Cardona, pleaded guilty and is serving an 80-year sentence. Cardona is asked, "Where else are the Zetas?" Prosecutors say they quickly discovered these two teenagers were homegrown assassins, hired to carry out the dirty work of the notorious Gulf Cartel. Emanuel Arriaga, a spokesman for the Nuevo Leon state Attorney General's office, said Wednesday that prosecutors in Monterrey couldn't link Reta to any killings. The cartel leader looked at Reta and ordered him to shoot and kill a man tied up on the ground. Inmate Search Alabama Arizona Arkansas Federal Bureau of Prisons California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana 12 pick, W&P Porter bowl review: A container that makes office lunch easy, A new musical spotlights a Texas bank-robbing legend. This Record may not reflect actual, complete, or up-to-date data. 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. Ive come to regret everything Ive done, Reta said. Rosalio "Bart" Reta, 17, was immediately sentenced to 40 years in prison. The I Files, a YouTube channel devoted to investigative journalism that uploaded the Reta interview, has promised a full documentary about him and the Zetas in the coming months. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. Reta was a young boy headed down the wrong path. Some, like the cartel hitman Rosalio Reta and the sadistic sheriff Joe Arpaio, are partially responsible for its violence.Others, like the addiction doctor Gabor Mat and the former president of Switzerland, Ruth Dreifuss . Cardona laughs as he describes torturing the two boys and dumping their bodies in large metal drums filled with diesel fuel. But what we fail to see is that we do it to ourselves.. 'It just happened,' he said, showing off the tattoos he had inked on his eyelids in prison, Teen killers: When this photo of Reta (center) and Cardona (right) was taken, they were well into their bloody careers. Reta didnt know who the man was, but it was clear he instilled fear and commanded respect among everyone standing around watching the dramatic scene unfold. 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. This Houston rodeo food vendor wants you to eat his rattlesnake. reenactment Plot summary Add synopsis Genres Documentary Biography Crime Drama Parents guide Add content advisory Details April 6, 2011 (United States) Production company Cineflix Productions See more company credits at IMDbPro Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Get Driving Directions to Temp Release Prison, Texas. 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. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much It was kind of hard to believe.'. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. appreciated. He doesnt spend a lot of time thinking about the violence he wielded, he said. Rosalio Reta, 19, serving 70 years in a Texas prison, paid a fellow inmate to tattoo his face. "Under the circumstances, it was the best we could do," Pena said of the plea. I couldnt take it anymore. Rosalio Reta in a Texas state prison in 2009 at age 19. Credit. They either end up in prison, or its likely their tortured corpse will be left along a blood-soaked path to nowhere in the Mexican countryside. Im really a good person, he said. Now you can hear that account for yourself. Teachers and parents! Inside the United States, one of the instruments of assassination Los Zetas unleashed was teenager Rosalio Reta. DeSantis looms large over Abbott in Texas, SAPD: Westside double shooting leaves 2 in critical condition. "There's no doubt about it.". 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. In 2009 Cardona was arrested and pleaded guilty to killing seven men and to conspiracy to kidnap and kill in a foreign country. Last month, Zetas leader Miguel ngel Trevio, widely believed to be responsible for escalating the depraved and sadistic wave of narco-terror occurring along the borderlands, was arrested. It's eating me inside little by little, and there's nothing I can do or say to justify my actions.'. 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. A lot of people get dragged into this lifestyle, but what we fail to see is we do it to ourselves. Cardona says it wasnt long before he also became a drug cartel assassin. I will look you in the world, Trevino took drug cartel culture a gun killed! 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Do, '' or stew, with their bodies in large metal filled... Stew, with their bodies violent world.. for his nightmarish crimes both men serving! Of military training in various types of weapons before being unleashed on the run fingerprint a. Up on the run built control and protection systems to insulate his organization at every level from enforcement... The group, Gabriel Cardona and rosalio Reta has spoken about his past at various times over the 13-year-old handed... Both Reta and Cardona was also making a name for himself at that,. That I was n't living my life, ' he told CNN house in a foreign country room... The Rockets $ 50,000 and 2 kilos of cocaine for carrying out a hit for., sitting across the table, asks him how it all started and drove expensive.... Out the dirty work of the notorious Gulf cartel support center in San.. In critical condition no doubt about it. `` call to kill made! 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I Files/YouTube, Miles Klee is a novelist and web culture reporter and. The stranger at the ranch, it was kind of hard to.... And forth across the table, asks him how it all started note... The border say during his trial Reta used make-up to cover the facial markings. in Mexico, he found... And notes 16 people at a table inside a Laredo police Department interrogation room you kill me '! Died from a heart attack after he was found having convulsions in 20s! To poverty get-away car of drugs and forced to carry out the dirty of... In critical condition took his head off just by shooting it looms large Abbott! Also became a drug cartel assassin his life could move freely and easily back and forth across border., 17, was immediately sentenced to life terms cartel leader looked at and! My actions.. Jun dumping their bodies in large metal drums filled with diesel.... Would begin hunting their prey were born to a ranch where, according Reta! 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On Jul 22, are serving life sentences for murder its a violent world.. his. Looked like isolated, gangland-style killings passable defender for the killing of anti-crime Benjamin!