A Message From The Cartel
Mr. Diaz is built of a different breed. He is a true mans-man; build like a rock, hits the gym on a daily basis, fantastic mechanic and full of stories of wonder and joy. However, he has not always been so lively or fortunate. His past has haunted him on a consistent basis, always leading him to question others motives or movements. He has become caressed by the blood of his transgressions, as they will stay with him until he opens his eyes no more.
“Life was extremely difficult while living in Mexico, having to watch your back around every corner, never feeling safe” (Diaz, 2015). The Mexican cartels have a strong grip around the throat of the 32 states of Mexico. Mr. Diaz gave me an in-depth narration of his childhood around the Los Zetas Mexican drug cartel. The horrors Mr. Diaz saw were unimaginable for an 8 year old, and yet that was daily life in Chihuahua, Mexico.
Mr. Diaz was distraught throughout the interview, his eyes darted around the room, his breathing became shallower and he could not sit still. His body language told me not to press forward, but he answered every question I asked. “This is an extremely difficult subject to talk about, it hurts so much inside”. As he said this, he threw his fists on the desk in front of him. “I never forgave myself for what I did, or what happened”.
Upon beginning the interview, I asked about his best friends and what they loved to do together. What types of games they enjoyed playing, what their school was like and what ended up happening to them when he left Mexico. He remained silent for what seemed an eternity, but he managed to whisper, “The cartel got to them” all the while shaking his head. With a tear in his eye, he gave me the events of that night, which were burned into his memory. “There was nothing I could do, the Zetas rushed our home and abducted them. I hid in my attic and watched it, they stole my life away”. Machetes, handguns and bats; what were such young kids going to do against such a foe?
Fast forward a few years, Mr. Diaz was a high school senior; he had perfect marks and was on a path to a bright future. While walking home after futbol practice (soccer in America), he unknowingly walked through a gang altercation, and was shot in the leg just yards from his home. Sadly this is common in Chihuahua. Mr. Diaz said “it was common to be one in the morning hearing gun shots, people running and yelling. You learned to sleep through it and just hope they don’t see your home and decide to rush it”.
While recuperating in the hospital from the gunshot wound, he was approached by a sergeant of the Los Zetas offering gang protection, the only trick was that he would have to join the gang, or “La Familia” as they called it. “The gang that shot me was a rival gang, they were smaller than Los Zetas, but they were insane. The Los Zetas said that they felt ‘bad’ for me getting shot, and wanted me to take revenge on them.” Mr. Diaz stated “after thinking about it for too long, they gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse. They told me if I said no, I would die after watching my mother’s beheading.” Mr. Diaz did what any son would do; to protect his mother he joined the Los Zetas cartel and became a “mule”, or smuggler. This was to gain the trust of the cartel and hopefully gain rank and get his mother and himself to safety.
He conducted operations for the Los Zetas for a few years, until he could come up with a plan to get himself and his mother to freedom. During his time as a mule, he worked on his green card and VISA. Every chance he had, he pushed closer to obtaining American Citizenship. While in Texas, he went to a Marine Recruiting station and questioned how he could join. The Marines took him in, worked with him on his green card, and awarded him citizenship after completing his training. Mr. Diaz told me it was the biggest mistake of his life.
“When I disappeared from the radar of the Los Zetas, no one was there to watch my mother. The last moment I spoke to her was on a Sunday night while on Parris Island”. He did not say what happened, but one can imply that the cartel killed her, because he left.
Mexico has corrupt politicians, cartel led elections and some of the worst poverty stricken areas in the world. Just in Chihuahua alone, according to the IPC-IG, has over 490,000 persons living in poverty (IPC-IG, 2011). Poverty, crime and drugs have severely impacted the lives of the local populations across Mexico.
