An Odd News Story
(originally posted on the 25th of May, 2018)
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| (L: Deputy Director Robert W. Patterson, DEA, R: Gen. Rosso Serrano, Columbian National Police) |
Long-standing rumours of Central American drug cartels recruiting agents as young as ten years old were confirmed earlier this week when a multi-jurisdictional operation collapsed due to leaked information.
In a report to the Justice Department, acting administrator for the DEA, Robert W. Patterson said that the Agency had long-suspected the cartels of using children as lookouts and messengers, but was unprepared for the degree of organisation behind it. The report stated, "Despite their age, these young people are trained operatives who are fully integrated into the structure of the cartels at almost all levels."
The operation, conducted in co-operation with the FBI, the Mexican Department of Home Affairs and the Colombian Ministry of Defence, which oversees the National Police Force in Columbia, had been gathering information on all aspects of cartel operations, and had been planning a series of tactical strikes when the Columbia National Police Force discovered that information had been transmitted to the cartels by young operatives acting out of Bogotá.
Rosso Serrano, the head of the Columbian Police Force, responded that, while the operation had not been successful, it had shown the merits of further such undertakings.
"While this project had not achieved its main goals, it was successful on a number of levels. We were able to gather a great deal of useful information and it showed us that such an operation was indeed possible. I feel optimistic that future undertakings will be able to learn from the lessons of this one."
Deputy Director Patterson of the DEA echoed these sentiments. "It was a well-organised and structured operation. A blueprint for similar projects going forward. And we would have gotten away with it if not for those Medellin kids."
In a report to the Justice Department, acting administrator for the DEA, Robert W. Patterson said that the Agency had long-suspected the cartels of using children as lookouts and messengers, but was unprepared for the degree of organisation behind it. The report stated, "Despite their age, these young people are trained operatives who are fully integrated into the structure of the cartels at almost all levels."
The operation, conducted in co-operation with the FBI, the Mexican Department of Home Affairs and the Colombian Ministry of Defence, which oversees the National Police Force in Columbia, had been gathering information on all aspects of cartel operations, and had been planning a series of tactical strikes when the Columbia National Police Force discovered that information had been transmitted to the cartels by young operatives acting out of Bogotá.
Rosso Serrano, the head of the Columbian Police Force, responded that, while the operation had not been successful, it had shown the merits of further such undertakings.
"While this project had not achieved its main goals, it was successful on a number of levels. We were able to gather a great deal of useful information and it showed us that such an operation was indeed possible. I feel optimistic that future undertakings will be able to learn from the lessons of this one."
Deputy Director Patterson of the DEA echoed these sentiments. "It was a well-organised and structured operation. A blueprint for similar projects going forward. And we would have gotten away with it if not for those Medellin kids."
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