Watch how the teens turned into drug cartel hitmen . Some like it, NOT! At the age of 13, he crossed the bridge into Nuevo Laredo in search of adventure and was introduced to the Gulf Cartel when his friend Gabriel Cardona took him to a ranch to report for duty for Miguel Trevino Morales. Struggling with distance learning? 1 of 3 Authorities say Rosalio Reta Jr., 17, is a member of the ``Zetillas,'' young enforcers for the Gulf Cartel. They were torturing people and getting information from them, said Reta. March 17, 2009 Rosalio Reta has claimed to police that he killed 30 people. 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. 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. His mind isnt haunted by violent images from his former life. In this conversation. TV Shows. Gabriel Cardona and Rosalio 'Bart' (as in Bart Simpson) Reta are American citizens of the border town of Laredo, Texas. Zavala was also charged for killing activist Marisela Escobedo in 2010. Cardona and Reta didnt last long in that world. On the border, a lot of people get dragged into this lifestyle, Reta said. I couldnt believe what I was seeing. 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. Reta and other teenagers were groomed and made to carry out assassinations on both sides of the border. Rosalio Reta, convicted drug cartel assassin. 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Phone records linked the hit men, the ring leader and suppliers of the guns and car used in the shooting, Detective Robert Garcia testified. Given six months of military training in Mexico, he was sent across the border. 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. 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. LitCharts Teacher Editions. 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. He took his head off just by shooting it.. . It just happened., I always had thought that if I die, its going to be by a bullet in the head, he said. 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. 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 was torturing two brothers and he made one kill the other," convicted killer Reta said from inside his jail cell. 2023 Cable News Network. 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'I'm really a good person," he told CNN recently. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. Rosalio Reta(born 1990) was an enforcer for the Los Zetas gang in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas during the 2000s. Investigators found a fingerprint on a cigarette box inside the suspected shooter's get-away car. Reta has spoken about his past at various times over the seven years since his arrest. Many Zeta leaders often use numbers as their cartel nicknames. Officials initially thought Zavala died from a heart attack after he was found having convulsions in his cell, the El Paso Times reported . Movies. One of the most feared and powerful drug kingpins in the world, Trevino took drug cartel brutality to never-before-seen levels. 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. 2. Not long after, Reta botched an assassination attempt in Mexico, missing the victim and killing innocent people. Discovery Company. 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. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Retas boyhood friend Gabriel Cardona says he started his life as a criminal by stealing cars and selling them across the border in Mexico. Trevino, 40, faces charges of organized crime, homicide, torture and money laundering, a Mexican government security spokesman told reporters in July. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. When you see those, they seem like the window into the cold, calculated soul that made Cardona a notoriously effective killer for the Zetas. It's eating me inside little by little, and there's nothing I can do or say to justify my actions.'. 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. The teenager turned himself in to Mexican police, then called Detective Garcia to ask to be extradited to the U.S., fearing reprisal for his error, or from rival gang member. This is a carousel. The teenagers lived in several safe houses around Laredo and drove around town in a $70,000 Mercedes-Benz. Ive come to regret everything Ive done, Reta said. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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. Rosalio Reta in a Texas state prison in 2009 at age 19. Credit. A close friend, Gabriel Cardona, now 26, lived nearby. Reta, 24, and Cardona, 26, still bear signs of their years as feared assassins. 'It gets to a point where I can't even stand myself. Its eating me inside little by little, and theres nothing I can do or say to justify my actions.. 12 pick, W&P Porter bowl review: A container that makes office lunch easy, A new musical spotlights a Texas bank-robbing legend. He said he was under influence of drugs and forced to carry out murders, or cartel leaders would kill him. 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. The cartel leader looked at Reta and ordered him to shoot and kill a man tied up on the ground. US-born Jimenez Lugo was convicted at age 14 for working as a hitman for a Mexican drug gang, the South Pacific drug cartel. Rosalio Reta (born 1990) was an enforcer for the Los Zetas gang in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas during the 2000s. Both teenagers received six-month military-style training on a Mexican ranch. In interviews with CNN, Laredo police detectives and prosecutors told how Cardona and Reta were recruited by the cartel to be assassins after they began hitting the cantinas and clubs just across the border. This Record may not reflect actual, complete, or up-to-date data. Denounced by Mexicos Catholic Church, Santa Muerte is a popular symbol among drug traffickers. 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. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 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. H/T Gawker | Photo via The I Files/YouTube, Miles Klee is a novelist and web culture reporter. 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From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. "There are sleeper cells in the U.S.," said Detective Garcia. Rosalio Reta has claimed to police that he killed 30 people. Michael. 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. It was real hard for me. Rosalio Reta, Self: Generation Z: Child Soldiers of the Zetas. Both Reta and Cardona were born to a families with relatives on both sides of the U.S.-Texas border. 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. SHARN STEINMANN/Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Lori Garcia . Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. 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. But this was a put-on, Slater writes. . 'How much can business take?' Rosalio Reta is on Facebook. I never thought that I was going to die in prison.. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. 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. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. 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. Investigators say Cardona and Reta were paid $500 a week each as a retainer, to sit and wait for the call to kill. Cardona and Reta could move freely and easily back and forth across the border with Mexico. What's on TV & Streaming Top 250 TV Shows Most Popular TV Shows Browse TV Shows by Genre TV News India TV Spotlight. It gives you that sense that you could do anything without being touched and having that sense of power, Cardona said. Reta and Cardona were paid a $500 retainer each week. On the surface, Gabriel Cardonas eyes belong to a baby face. Reta and Cardona agreed to give CNN rare interviews from the Texas prisons where both men are serving life sentences for murder. 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. Reta was a young boy headed down the wrong path. When orders from cartel leaders came, the men would begin hunting their prey. Posted on Jul 22, 2013Updated on Jun 1, 2021, 10:57 am CDT. 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. 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