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. Their short but bloody careers came crashing down swiftly, one after the other. Reta grew up in Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border, and joined the Zetas at just 13 years old, after meeting its second-in-command, Miguel Trevio. 'I've come to regret everything I've done. 'It was like regular military training, like what they do here in the United States,' he told CNN. 'It gets to a point where I can't even stand myself. At 17, he was convicted for two murders and sentenced to 70 years in a Texas states prison in 2007. Reta has spoken about his past at various times over the seven years since his arrest. Hes not going to ask people to do something that hes not willing to do himself. 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. In Chasing the Scream, journalist Johann Hari spends three years trying to understand the war on drugs by interviewing hundreds of people who have fought on its front lines. 1 most stressful city for workers in U.S. Turner: State takeover of Houston ISD could happen as soon as next week, Houston rap royalty Bun B on returning to Rodeo for another Takeover, How the Houston Zoo moved its flock of flamingos to a new home, Why the Texans should take Bijan Robinson with the No. The comments below have not been moderated. Rosalio Reta, Self: Generation Z: Child Soldiers of the Zetas. Once he bragged to police, 'If I cannot hit you in the forehead from a distance, I will kneel down in front of you and put my forehead against the muzzle of your gun. 'I'm really a good person," he told CNN recently. Reta has bizarre markings around his eyes; Cardona has drawings of eyeballs tattooed on his eyelids. Reta's first kill was at 13 years old. . Investigators found a fingerprint on a cigarette box inside the suspected shooter's get-away car. 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. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. The way the content is organized. 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. Rosalio Reta photos, including production stills, premiere photos and other event photos, publicity photos, behind-the-scenes, and more. The money and lifestyle were so seductive and intoxicating that both teenagers dropped out of school and started living the high-rolling, lavish lifestyle. Reta dropped out sixth grade; Cardona left school in ninth grade. (including. 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. I knew that my life had just changed forever, Reta told CNN this week, 11 years later. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. 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. He was a good student, but he was more interested in what was happening across the river from his town, in the cantinas and barrios of Nuevo Laredo. Wife is shocked after husband of 15 years asks for permission to have an affair: 'I don't know what to do'. Since age 14 I was in court. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." 12 pick, W&P Porter bowl review: A container that makes office lunch easy, A new musical spotlights a Texas bank-robbing legend. In the statement, Reta admitted being the driver of the car they used to go kill Flores. He still faces separate charges in another killing in Laredo that was allegedly carried out on the orders of the Mexican Gulf Cartel. Cardona estimates he killed between 20 and 30 people. Published: 07:08 GMT, 7 August 2013 | Updated: 16:48 GMT, 7 August 2013. When you see those, they seem like the window into the cold, calculated soul that made Cardona a notoriously effective killer for the Zetas. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. App. Rosalio Reta in a Texas state prison in 2009 at age 19. Credit. What's on TV & Streaming Top 250 TV Shows Most Popular TV Shows Browse TV Shows by Genre TV News India TV Spotlight. Cardona was arrested and pleaded guilty to killing seven men and to conspiracy to kidnap and kill in a foreign country. Eventually Laredo police detectives zeroed in on the teen assassins. Menu. DeSantis looms large over Abbott in Texas, SAPD: Westside double shooting leaves 2 in critical condition. A lot of people get dragged into this lifestyle, but what we fail to see is we do it to ourselves. 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. In a gun battle, in a confrontation, hes the first one to get out of his truck and lead his people. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Rosalio Reta was born in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico in 1990, and he was raised on both sides of the United States-Mexico border. Watch how the teens turned into drug cartel hitmen . 1 most stressful city for U.S. workers, Turner: State takeover of Houston ISD could happen next week, Bun B on bringing Southern rap stars to Houston's Rodeo, The only Houston rodeo food guide you'll need, Former KHOU anchor turns layoff into lucrative real estate career, Houston is in for dust and gray skies as Texas haboob arrives, Astros GM provides update on Yordan Alvarez's hand injury, Houston leaders delay vote on Hobby Airport concesssions contract, Watch: Houston Astros' Luis Garcia debuts new windup, Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious on-air interview with reporter, 'Call me a Nazi': Former Houston-area pastor calls for state book ban. 2023 Cable News Network. They were torturing people and getting information from them, said Reta. Retas boyhood friend Gabriel Cardona says he started his life as a criminal by stealing cars and selling them across the border in Mexico. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. The men say cartel leaders provided them with a house and extravagant cars. An argument broke out: A man wanted to know what Reta, a stranger, was doing there. When Reta arrived at the ranch, it was a crash course in drug cartel culture. He was sentenced to more than 80 years in prison. Rosalio Reta(born 1990) was an enforcer for the Los Zetas gang in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas during the 2000s. He was eighty when I met him, and about to be elected to his sixth consecutive term. Since 1993, he has been the elected sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. Denounced by Mexicos Catholic Church, Santa Muerte is a popular symbol among drug traffickers. Reta was a young boy headed down the wrong path. Gonzalez Duran is allegedly one of the founding members of the Zetas, a group of army deserters who went to work as hitmen for the Gulf drug cartel. On the streets of Mexico, Trevino was known as Z-40.. The I Files, a YouTube channel devoted to investigative journalism that uploaded the Reta interview, has promised a full documentary about him and the Zetas in the coming months. "Los Zetas" liked what they saw in Cardona and Reta. Air Date: Apr 6, 2011. 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In January 2009, Lopez confessed to disposing more than 300 corpses. ", All About Laredo Gulf Cartel Gang Violence Mexico Illegal Drugs, Watch how the teens turned into drug cartel hitmen , Guarding the U.S.-Mexico border, from New York, House hearing on spillover violence from Mexico, Pentagon: No request to deploy troops to border, U.S. teens are accused of acting as Mexican cartel hit men in Laredo, Texas, One allegedly told police: "I loved killing that first person", Police detective: "One thing you wonder all the time is what made them be this way? Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. I left school. 1 of 3 Authorities say Rosalio Reta Jr., 17, is a member of the ``Zetillas,'' young enforcers for the Gulf Cartel. He took his head off just by shooting it.. "One thing you wonder all the time: What made them this way?" 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. 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. LAREDO, Texas 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. He was sentenced to more than 80 years in prison. She was gunned down in front of the state capitol in Chihuahua City during a protest against the drug cartels influence in the Mexican government. Teachers and parents! Cardona laughs as he describes torturing the two boys and dumping their bodies in large metal drums filled with diesel fuel. In that moment, even though it was another man he was instructed to kill, Reta's life was over. Reta dropped out of school in sixth grade, Cardona left in the ninth. out-of-date, incorrect offense/sentence details, record expunged, etc), please send an email to: Temp Release Prison, Texas Inmates & Offenders, https://offender.tdcj.texas.gov/OffenderSearch/offenderDetail.action?sid=06748142, Search is on for inmate accidentally released from Colorado jail, Search for Escaped Inmate in Ellis County, Search underway after inmate escapes in Sabine Parish, Three inmates escape Athens County correctional facility, one apprehended, Man Accused of Helping Callahan County Inmate Escape Self-Surrenders, Oklahoma DOC unveils new inmate search feature, Search continues for Inmate who escaped from Lawrence County work release, Correctional Facility or Supervision Authority, Department of Corrections Inmate / Offender Record. When developing to the teenage years, they had dropped out of school and had become friends with bad influences. Cardona and Reta could move freely and easily back and forth across the border with Mexico. Instead, Hari visits a rural Texas prison to interview a young man named. 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. Then they were paid up to $50,000 and 2 kilos of cocaine for carrying out a hit. Flores was shot at least seven times. Young Guns Photos. For . Rosalio Retas career as a teen drug cartel assassin had begun. 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