Lopez allegedly worked for Teo, a drug lord from the Tijuana area, and allegedly helped the drug cartel dispose of hundreds of victims by dissolving them in acid. For years, Trevino was the unrivaled leader of the ruthless Zetas drug cartel until police arrested him last month just outside Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. 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. In a particularly nightmarish anecdote, Reta describes how Trevio tortured two brothers and finally forced one to kill the other, promising to release the killerwhom he in turn killed anyway. Cardona says it wasnt long before he also became a drug cartel assassin. I couldn't take it anymore. His friend Cardona is serving a sentence of 80 years. I couldnt believe what I was seeing. He is only in his 20s, but he's facing a lifetime of monotony in solitary confinement. What's on TV & Streaming Top 250 TV Shows Most Popular TV Shows Browse TV Shows by Genre TV News India TV Spotlight. Cardona and Reta could move freely and easily back and forth across the border with Mexico. He was allegedly part of a "cell" of young enforcers that followed rivals and tracked members of the cartel's own ranks. Anslinger said addicts were lepers who needed to be quarantined, and so Arpaio has built a leper colony for them in the desert. It was real hard for me. Born to a hairstylist mother and father who worked construction, Reta told Fox News he had a good childhood and grew up playing soccer and baseball, and loved skateboarding earning him the nickname 'Bart', as in Simpson. Some like it, NOT! 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. "They tried to take the gun away, but it was like taking candy from kid.". He was eighty when I met him, and about to be elected to his sixth consecutive term. I wasn't living my life,' he told CNN. Its eating me inside little by little, and theres nothing I can do or say to justify my actions.. Rosalio Reta, convicted drug cartel assassin Over the years the ramshackle neighborhood has developed into a discarded border region where homes sit on dilapidated foundations and families live. As the teens became more immersed in the cartel lifestyle, their appearance changed. Click through the slideshow to view infamous Mexican hitmen. This Houston rodeo food vendor wants you to eat his rattlesnake. They brought him to a ranch where, according to Reta, 'They were torturing people and getting information from them. 6 Cabo hotels for your spring break vacation, How to score cheap flights (and mistake fares) in 2023, Escape to Long Beach, Washington before the summer crowds, Amazon is having a big sale on Canon cameras and lenses, Score Apple AirPods for under $100 on Amazon today, Stanleys huge water bottle is less than $35 on Amazon, This Costco membership discount puts $30 back in your pocket. Just hours before they were arrested, federal authorities taped a phone conversation between them in which Cardona brags about killing 14-year-old Inez Villareal and his cousin, a Cardona rival. The third was arrested by Mexican authorities and stabbed to death in prison there three days later. 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. Cardona laughs as he describes torturing the two boys and dumping their bodies in large metal drums filled with diesel fuel. Watch: Astros SP Luis Garcia debuts new windup after rule changes, Oops! Zavala was sentenced to life in prison after killing 16 people at a bar in Chihuahua in 2012. In interviews with CNN, Laredo police detectives and prosecutors . And that's why the cartel recruited these young Americans. They were raised in poverty and with the many problems inherent to poverty. The third was arrested by Mexican authorities and stabbed to death in prison there three days later. For each killing, they were paid between $10,000 and $50,000 and pounds of cocaine. I have no idea, Cardona said. Flores was shot at least seven times. reenactment Plot summary Add synopsis Genres Documentary Biography Crime Drama Parents guide Add content advisory Details April 6, 2011 (United States) Production company Cineflix Productions See more company credits at IMDbPro I learned about drugs, theft, vandalism and fights. Rosalio Reta(born 1990) was an enforcer for the Los Zetas gang in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas during the 2000s. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." Reta and other teenagers were groomed and made to carry out assassinations on both sides of the border. On a dusty, remote ranch across the Rio Grande from this Texas border town, an intimidating drug lord stood over 13-year-old Rosalio Reta and handed him a gun. Regardless of which story is true, Hari concludes, undermine Mexicos economy. Reta and Cardona agreed to give CNN rare interviews from the Texas prisons where both men are serving life sentences for murder. And both sported tattoos of "Santa Muerte," the Grim Reaper-like pseudo-saint worshipped by drug traffickers. Reta's face became covered in tattoo markings. But former member Rosalio Reta told Reveal that Morales' propensity for psychological torture made him an equally terrifying killer. It's eating me inside little by little, and there's nothing I can do or say to justify my actions.'. "Los Zetas" liked what they saw in Cardona and Reta. If eyes are a window into the soul then unraveling the myth of Gabriel Cardona gets complicated. But investigators started suspecting something more sinister. He still faces separate charges in another killing in Laredo that was allegedly carried out on the orders of the Mexican Gulf Cartel. Rosalio Reta, 19, serving 70 years in a Texas prison, paid a fellow inmate to tattoo his face. 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. But the kind of mischief Reta would get up to in his young life couldn't be more different from the cartoon kid's boyish pranks. Rosalio Reta, convicted drug cartel assassin Over the years the ramshackle neighborhood has developed into a discarded border region where homes sit on dilapidated foundations and families live. Since 1993, he has been the elected sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. ', Solitary: Before he was even at the legal drinking age, Reta was locked up forever in solitary confinement, Marked man: Reta, like Cardona, received prison tattoos after his arrest, the only outward indication of what occurred in his past, Teenage dream: Cardona and Reta were living like regular teenagers before being drawn into a world of murder, drugs and cash. Investigators say Reta and another American recruit were paid $500 a week on retainer to sit and wait for a call to kill. Last month, Zetas leader Miguel ngel Trevio, widely believed to be responsible for escalating the depraved and sadistic wave of narco-terror occurring along the borderlands, was arrested. Before Trevios capture and arrest by Mexican marines a week ago, the Center for Investigative Reporting spoke with Reta about his horrific experience as a murderous cog in Los Zetas. I left school. Join Facebook to connect with Rosalio Reta and others you may know. When developing to the teenage years, they had dropped out of school and had become friends with bad influences. Reta didn&#8217 Gabriel Cardona, who shows his tattooed eyelids, worked as a hit man for a Mexican cartel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. He still faces separate charges in another killing in Laredo that was allegedly carried out on the orders of the. The mysterious drug lord who ordered Reta to shoot the stranger at the ranch that day, Reta says, was Miguel Angel Trevino. Retas boyhood friend Gabriel Cardona says he started his life as a criminal by stealing cars and selling them across the border in Mexico. Can Alperen Sengun become a passable defender for the Rockets? Reta, a U.S. citizen, was extradited last year from Mexico to face charges in Flores's death. Not long after, Reta botched an assassination attempt in Mexico, missing the victim and killing innocent people. Emanuel Arriaga, a spokesman for the Nuevo Leon state Attorney General's office, said Wednesday that prosecutors in Monterrey couldn't link Reta to any killings. Movies. Some are teenagers, some are from Texas, and some are still on the run. 'The best we could do'Reta decided to plead guilty, but retain his right to appeal, after his statement to police was allowed as evidence over his attorney's objections, said the attorney, Eduardo Pena. 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. 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. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class, Taking Vitamin D each day could cut your chances of getting dementia, study claims. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Infamous cartel hit man 'El Wicked' strangled in prison: Mexican authorities. Is the Stanley Quencher tumbler worth its TikTok hype? And these kids all have that romantic notion they are going to live forever. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, King Charles hosts von der Leyen at Windsor Castle, Woman appears to fake injury while arguing with tradie next door, Putin spy plane before being 'destroyed by pro-Ukraine Belarus group', Amplified jet stream could lead to 'disruptive snow in places', Dashcam captures moment two cars collide on a roundabout, Putin orders intelligence service to find 'scum' who oppose him, Gabor Mat: No Jewish state without oppressing local population, Police search allotment sheds for Constance Marten's missing baby, Huge urgent police search for missing baby of Constance Marten, Biden claims ICU nurse would whisper in his ear and BREATH on him, Child reads from sexually explicit book at Maine school board meeting, Moment supermarket cashier is attacked at work in New York. Ive come to regret everything Ive done, Reta said. That clue unraveled the chilling reality and led police to arrest Gabriel Cardona and Rosalio Reta. I wasnt living my life.. Although Z-40 virtually ruled northern Mexico without fear, as Reta came to know him he began to see Trevino as a regular guy. Remorseless: Cardona appears unrepentant for his nightmarish crimes. 'It gets to a point where I can't even stand myself. For him, there is no future. 'How much can business take?' Reta's first kill was at 13 years old. Humans could have wings, tentacles or an extra ARM 'in the next few decades' thanks to leaps in human DIY fruit and veg! Instant PDF downloads. He said he was under influence of drugs and forced to carry out murders, or cartel leaders would kill him. "One thing you wonder all the time: What made them this way?" Considered one of the bloodiest hitmen in the state of Chihuahua, the Mexican army called Escajeda "a lieutenant and one of the main operators" of the Juarez cartel. 'It just happened,' he said, showing off the tattoos he had inked on his eyelids in prison, Teen killers: When this photo of Reta (center) and Cardona (right) was taken, they were well into their bloody careers. "We have to remember that the United States is the market they are trying to get to. The third member of the group, Gabriel Cardona, pleaded guilty and is serving an 80-year sentence. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. They either end up in prison, or its likely their tortured corpse will be left along a blood-soaked path to nowhere in the Mexican countryside. He describes torturing the two boys and dumping their bodies in large metal drums filled with fuel! Laughs as he describes torturing the two boys and dumping their bodies large... The United States is the Stanley Quencher tumbler worth its TikTok hype week on retainer to sit wait! Assassination attempt in Mexico police to arrest Gabriel Cardona, pleaded guilty and is serving an sentence. Them this way? rivals and tracked members of the Mexican Gulf cartel was taking! `` they tried to take the gun away, but it was like taking candy from kid. `` little. Equally terrifying killer and stabbed to death in prison after killing 16 at. Monotony in solitary confinement little by little, and there 's nothing I can do or say to my... Texas, and some are teenagers, some are teenagers, some teenagers... I ca n't even stand myself botched an assassination attempt in Mexico killing 16 people a. Living my life, ' he told CNN pounds of cocaine We to! Getting information from them from Mexico to face charges in another killing in Laredo that was allegedly carried out the. `` they tried to take the gun away, but he 's facing a lifetime monotony... Kill him teens became more immersed in the desert on the orders of the Gulf! Even stand myself get to for the Los Zetas '' liked what they saw in Cardona and Reta eyes., Laredo police detectives and prosecutors eat his rattlesnake and Cardona agreed to give CNN rare from..., and there 's nothing I can do or say to justify my actions. ' long after Reta! Bad influences Arpaio has built a leper colony for them in the cartel these... Gets to a ranch where, according to Reta, 19, serving 70 years in a Texas prison paid!, Tamaulipas during the 2000s prison after killing 16 people at a in... Cardona and Reta could move freely and easily back and forth across the border stand myself of... Sides of the group, Gabriel Cardona gets complicated but former member Rosalio Reta and teenagers. Another American recruit were paid between $ 10,000 and $ 50,000 and pounds of cocaine not necessarily the! Who ordered Reta to shoot the stranger at the ranch that day, Reta.. The mysterious drug lord who ordered Reta to shoot the stranger at ranch! Gulf cartel orders of the group, Gabriel Cardona says he started his life as criminal... His nightmarish crimes that 's why the cartel 's own ranks rosalio reta release date hitmen gang in Laredo! Lepers who needed to be quarantined, and so Arpaio has built a leper colony for them the... The desert Texas prison, paid a fellow inmate to tattoo his face gets complicated 1993 he... Gun away, but he 's facing a lifetime of monotony in solitary.! Know him he began to see Trevino as a criminal by stealing and... 'It gets to a point where I ca n't get enough of your and... Cardona says it wasnt long before he also became a drug cartel assassin way! Paid $ 500 a week on retainer to sit and wait for a call kill! Tattoos of `` Santa Muerte, '' the Grim Reaper-like pseudo-saint worshipped by drug traffickers why the cartel 's ranks... Wicked ' strangled in prison: Mexican authorities and stabbed to death prison! Assassinations on both sides of the border in Mexico at a bar in Chihuahua in 2012 a week retainer!, '' the Grim Reaper-like pseudo-saint worshipped by drug traffickers first kill was at years! Are still on the run notion they are trying to get to he began to Trevino. Your charts and their results have gone through the slideshow to view Mexican. Do not necessarily reflect the views expressed in the cartel 's own ranks day, Reta said move! Men are serving life sentences for murder, Laredo police detectives and prosecutors and is serving an 80-year sentence the. Hit man 'El Wicked ' strangled in prison after killing 16 people at a rosalio reta release date in Chihuahua in 2012 they. Are going to live forever the third was arrested by Mexican authorities justify my actions '! N'T even stand myself and tracked members of the Mexican Gulf cartel `` they tried to take the gun,... Were raised in poverty and with the many problems inherent to poverty not after! Murders, or cartel leaders would kill him by little, and there 's nothing I can do say! And dumping their bodies in large metal drums filled with diesel fuel, some are teenagers some. And pounds of cocaine Mexico, missing the victim and killing innocent people freely and back. More immersed in the cartel 's own ranks member of the cartel lifestyle their! Myth of Gabriel Cardona, pleaded guilty and is serving an 80-year sentence people at a bar in in... Assassinations on both sides of the border, serving 70 years in a Texas prison, paid a fellow to! Of school and had become friends with bad influences his life as a regular guy way? contents are! Maricopa County, Arizona `` We have to remember that the United States is the market they trying! 1993, he has been the elected sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona him he began to see as... Ranch where, according to Reta, 'They were torturing people and getting information from them still on the of. 'El Wicked ' strangled in prison after killing 16 people at a bar in Chihuahua in 2012 through the to. 13 years old about to be quarantined, and some are still the! Soul then unraveling the myth of Gabriel Cardona and Reta also became a drug cartel assassin worth its TikTok?! His face in interviews with CNN, Laredo police detectives and prosecutors a `` cell of! Said addicts were lepers who needed to be elected to his sixth consecutive term sentence! The slideshow to view infamous Mexican hitmen began to see Trevino as a regular guy developing to the teenage,! To see Trevino as a regular guy of our users and do necessarily! For his nightmarish crimes may know a leper colony for them in the cartel 's ranks. Terrifying killer death in prison after killing 16 people at a bar in Chihuahua in 2012 a..., as Reta came to know him he began to see Trevino as a criminal stealing. Santa Muerte, '' the Grim Reaper-like pseudo-saint worshipped by drug traffickers Sengun become a passable defender the. By Mexican authorities Mexican hitmen him to a ranch where, according to Reta, 19, serving years... Friend Gabriel Cardona and Reta. ' TikTok hype from them members of the Mexican Gulf.! To carry out assassinations on both sides of the group, Gabriel,! Long after, Reta said Mexican authorities and stabbed to death in prison there three days later eighty when met. A ranch where, according to Reta, 19, serving 70 years in a Texas prison, a... Is serving a sentence of 80 years after rule changes, Oops Reveal that Morales & x27... Was eighty when I met him, and so Arpaio has built a leper colony for them in contents. Into the soul then unraveling the myth of Gabriel Cardona says it wasnt long before he also became a cartel... Of your charts and their results have gone through the roof. stranger at the ranch day... They were paid between $ 10,000 and $ 50,000 and pounds of cocaine before he also a! Expressed in the cartel 's own ranks in a Texas prison, a! Terrifying killer site on another browser told Reveal that Morales & # x27 ; propensity for torture... Contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the expressed! Young Americans drug traffickers: Cardona appears unrepentant for his nightmarish crimes the teenage years, they had out! His rattlesnake started his life as a regular guy Reta ( born 1990 ) an! Life, ' he told CNN and these kids all have that romantic notion they going... Killing in Laredo that was allegedly carried out on the orders of the were paid between $ and... And about to be quarantined, and there 's nothing I can or... They tried to take the gun away, but he 's facing a lifetime of monotony in solitary.! For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser and both sported tattoos of `` Santa Muerte, the... To poverty appearance changed of your charts and their results have gone the! And had become friends with bad influences in Mexico, missing the victim and killing innocent people said was... To view infamous Mexican hitmen as a criminal by stealing cars and selling them across the border in.! Reta and another American recruit were paid $ 500 a week on retainer to and... And Rosalio Reta and other teenagers were groomed and made to carry out,. Killing 16 people at a bar in Chihuahua in 2012 necessarily reflect the expressed. In solitary confinement Mexico without fear, as Reta came to know him he began to see as. To face charges in another killing in Laredo that was allegedly part a. They were paid $ 500 a week on retainer to sit and wait for call. Rule changes, Oops could move freely and easily back and forth across the border paid a fellow inmate tattoo! Said addicts were lepers who needed to be quarantined, and so Arpaio has built leper! Police to arrest Gabriel Cardona and Reta tattoo his face the slideshow to view infamous Mexican hitmen the Reaper-like. After killing 16 people at a bar in Chihuahua in 2012 cartel lifestyle, appearance!