Mexico drug war imagery popping up in US
Dark imagery associated with the Mexican drug war, including images of the unofficial patron saints of death and smuggling, are showing up north of the border, a sign of the cartels’ growing influence among American smuggling networks, a U.S. marshal said Tuesday.
Images of the skeletal black-robed figure of Santa Muerte, the Death Saint, are showing up in areas that don’t have large Mexican populations, said Robert Almonte. He is traveling the country instructing law enforcement officials about Mexican folk icons associated with the drug war, hoping to raise “red flags so they will know that if they see some of this, they will be more cautious.”
“This is not just a South Texas or Southwest border phenomenon,” said Almonte, who recalled recent cases in New Hampshire. “Mexican drug traffickers do not deal exclusively with other Hispanics. So we’re seeing cases where Anglo and black traffickers or criminals are also using this for protection.”