Crime Syndicates In Mexico Recruiting Teens As Frontline Soldiers And Paid Assasins
They don't stand down or retreat. Always on guard, day or night. You can tell by the dead stare and the kind of smirk that only the soldiers can give. These are the child soldiers that the Mexican drug cartels have fighting wars. They are considered disposable, like a spare magazine or a kilo. Another day another dollar.
These kids are brought from countries in disaster, with no purpose but to do the only thing they know. Kill and be killed. Thats all they know and thats all the want to know. As dangerous as they are young, they are victims as well as assasins by and for Cartel leaders. They are paired in groups of five, armed, given a car and are trained day and night. This has been going on for awhile, judging by the notoriety some of these kids have. "El Ponchis" for example, one of the most known assasins in Mexico, has confessed to killing for the Cartels and was jailed for a couple of years before being released to Texas. Hes been cartel since 11 and had already decapitated people by 14 while under managment of the Pacifico Sur Cartel. And he is just one of many. 1100 kids and teens are jailed in Mexicos worst prisons. Out of those 1100, 500 are for serious offenses involving cartels.
The notorious El Ponchis has admitted to slitting throats and decapitations but claims he never really understood the seriousness of these acts. President Felipe Calderon claims to be winning the constant war against the violent syndicates which has claimed over 34000 lives but the war seems endless. With the millions of kids that are hopeless and poor, its more of a surprise that the majority fly straight than live the cartel life.
El Ponchis grew up with his grandparents and uncles in a small broken down house in Tejalpa. He went to school up until the third grade. The city was a haven for anyone looking for work. It would attract flocks of people trying to find a way to feed their families. The famous old church was a hot bed of activity, with teens hanging out in front and causing trouble. El Ponchis was no stranger to this crowd.
He became wanted by authorities after videos of him committing violent crimes surfaced. He is persistant on reminding everyone he was pulled in to this life. He had no choice or say in the matter. Life was different before the Beltran Leyva Syndicate came to his small town. They now run a vast array of illegal businesses from Alcapulco to Mexico City. Over 340 executions were recorded following a clash with the cartel and the Mexican Marine Corp when Marines killed one of their leaders. El Ponchis was smack dab in the middle of this mayhem. He stated it was kill or be killed, and he had no plans of dying anytime soon. $2,500 was the normal pay he received for each specific hit. When not serving as a hitman, he would receive around $200 a week as well as a supply of marijuana. A decent wage in his village was $100 a week, so it's not hard to see why these kids willingly work in crime.
El Ponchis is currently behind bars but not convicted. His confession has been denied as evidence in his trial, where he's charged with murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking and carrying an illegal firearm. His family believes in his innocence, as do all families. Even if convicted, he will be released in 2014 under reforms for the unjust civil system in Mexico. Although there has been a strong push for harsher punishments towards the youth involved with cartels, 3 years is the maximum he will recieve. Not a second more. Upon release, he's free to travel to the US, since he's a citizen.
He's one of the lucky ones. Interviews with several of the child soldiers recount stories of their fellow fighters being used as cannon shields. Suicide attacks werent uncommon either. They were raised as disposable, and they're used as such. The army encounters groups of these children and are forced to engage in gunfights, sometimes clearly seeing the lack of proper training. It's a losing battle. The goverment trained soldiers can only pray and defend themselves against these kids holding guns bigger than they are themselves. The wages are meager, ranging from 70 a murder to 400. Yet there seems no end to the line of kids willing to join. This madness needs to stop, but i don't see it happening in my lifetime. Thanks for reading
(credits for the information go to mysanantonio.com and coha.org. Picture credits go to blogdelnarco.com)