Cartel pirates robbing fishermen on Falcon Lake

ZAPATA — Texas authorities warn boaters to stay on the U.S. side of Falcon Lake after three recent confrontations between fishermen and suspected drug cartel members.

No injuries were reported in connection with any of the three recent incidents. During each of the encounters, groups of men armed with assault rifles confronted boaters, looking for drugs and money, troopers said.

The Texas Department of Public Safety issued a bulletin Tuesday that outlined the three confrontations. The most recent occurred Sunday on the U.S. side of the lake, which spans the state’s border with Mexico, authorities said.

“We suggest they stay on this side and not go into Mexico for their own safety,” said Capt. Fernando Cervantes with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Service in Zapata. “If anything happens in Mexico, we cannot go over to Mexico.”

The first incident occurred April 30 when five people in two boats were fishing on the lake and visited Old Guerrero, a Mexican city abandoned when the reservoir was created in the 1950s. The group was taking pictures of the church and other submerged buildings at the site when four heavily tattooed men appeared in boats and climbed aboard the fishermen’s vessels. The intruders claimed they were “Federales” — Mexican federal police — but had no uniforms, troopers said.

The men boarded the boats, demanded cash and asked for drugs. The fishermen handed over $200 to the pirates, who followed the two boats back toward U.S. waters but did not cross the border.

Tom Bendele, owner of Falcon Lake Tackle in Zapata, said he met with the fishermen after the confrontation. The men told him the confrontation lasted nearly 40 minutes and that one of the pirates had Zs tattooed around his neck — a typical identifier of the Zetas, one of the two dominant cartels in northeast Mexico.

The pirates let the group go “pretty much unvarnished” after the fishermen offered the cash, but the gunmen took the memory card from their digital camera, Bendele said.

“It’s really a shame, too, because I like the other side better,” Bendele said. “There’s a bunch of good structures over there to fish.”

During the second reported incident, May 6, three fishermen were about a quarter of a mile from Marker 14 on the north side of Salado Island, above some submerged ruins, troopers said. As they were fishing, two men in a boat quickly approached and pointed AR-15 assault rifles toward the anglers. One of the gunmen boarded the boat, looking for cash, drugs and firearms.

One of the attackers chambered a round in his assault rifle and said he would shoot the men if they did not give him money.

The marauders stole about $400 during that incident, Bendele said.

“That was more of a robbery to me than the first one,” he said.

And on Sunday, law enforcement officers received a report that a vessel carrying five armed men had approached some boaters. Investigators have not found the boaters to obtain details about the incident, which apparently occurred on the U.S. side of the lake.

Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo “Sigi” Gonzalez said the first suspected cartel pirate hijacking he heard of occurred about six weeks ago, when a group of fishermen had their boat stolen and were left naked on the Mexican side with only a cell phone to call for help.

“Falcon Lake is considered one of the best bass fishing lakes in the nation,” the sheriff said. “It’s a shame this is happening.”

The lake is a popular destination — especially among Rio Grande Valley anglers — for fishing for largemouth bass and other freshwater fish. Several bass fishing tournaments are scheduled in the coming weeks, and DPS officials said they worry anglers could be in danger if they cross to Mexican waters, which are largely unpatrolled and unregulated.

Fishing guides and bait shop owners in Zapata said the attacks could hurt their business if they continue into the fall.

Summer is the slow season for fishing on the lake, with anglers typically preferring the cooler temperatures and calmer winds of the fall and winter months, said Bendele, who has owned the bait shop for the past three years. One upcoming tournament has already relocated after organizers heard about the attacks.

“It’s definitely not going to be good for business,” Bendele said. “I’m glad this didn’t happen in our heyday.”

Robert Amaya has owned and operated Robert’s Fish and Tackle in Zapata the past six years, he said. Besides selling bait, Amaya guides fishermen on the lake for $400 per day.

But since February, when cartel violence began to heat up south of the border, he has been taking anglers only on the U.S. side of the lake, he said.

“Hopefully it doesn’t get worse,” Amaya said. “This is all we have, how we make a living. It’s kind of a tough deal.”

____

Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.

____

WATCH OUT

Several recent armed robberies prompted the Texas Department of Public Safety to warn boaters and fishers to avoid the Mexican side of Falcon Lake.

Troopers say to avoid “Argos-type” fishing boats, typically used in Mexico, which they describe as having these features:

>> Usually painted white.

>> About 18-20 feet long.

>> V-bottom.

>> Powered by small outboard motors.

>> No identification markings or numbers.

Troopers advise boaters and fishers to:

>> Stay on the U.S. side of the lake.

>> Tell relatives the time and place of departure, destination and direction of travel, the cell phone number of the boat captain, passenger names and what they’re wearing.

>> Share a description of the boat owner’s vehicle and boat, including boat and vehicle license numbers.