Cartel Help Wanted Ad Gets El Paso Students Busted

A pair of El Paso college students were busted for drug smuggling after answering a social media "help wanted" ad.

The 2 Juarez residents, students at UTEP and EPCC, were caught at the Bridge of the Americas with fentanyl, charged with manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and taken to the El Paso County Jail.

It seems they were victims of a cartel scam used to recruit smugglers, aka "mules". In this case, they answered a Facebook ad looking for couriers to bring money from Juarez to El Paso.

At the meeting/interview, their ID's were copied and their car taken to have a tracking device put on it. That's (probably) when the drugs were loaded. The students were also told their new employer had many people working for them which seems to me like a warning that they're being watched. Sound familiar?

How Does This Scam Work?

It's a pretty common scam that goes back decades. Ads, originally placed in the classified sections of Juárez newspapers, are now posted on social media sites.

The “recruiter” will send a direct message to the job seeker and will set up a job "interview." HSI warns that legitimate businesses do not interview people in parking lots, nor take possession of the job-seeker's vehicle, which should be a major red flag. The vehicle is taken to conceal drugs inside it. - EPTimes

"Mules" can be paid a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand dollars. Money making offers that are too good to be true are usually sketchy so, heads up. Whether you know about the drugs or not, the charges still apply.

If you have any info on these scams, smugglers or smuggling activity; call the HSI tip line at 866-347-2423.