HOUSTON -- The shooting of a Houston Police Department narcotics officer during a massive law-enforcement sweep of members of Mexican drug cartels thought to be tied to the shooting of federal immigration agents has showcased the threat cartels pose.
In a rare interview, Joe Pistone, the famed FBI special agent who infiltrated the Mafia as "Donnie Brasco," told 11 News there were parallels between the mob and the cartels.
"Back in the day there was a mutual respect for law enforcement," he said. "It was, you know, you do your thing, we do our thing and you try to catch us."
Federal sources told 11 News that hundreds of members of Mexican drug cartels, including Los Zetas, were already in Houston.
"You go where the money is. And, you go where the people are," he said. "As far as the criminal element, this is where there's money, there's people and there's outlay for the product."
Tens of millions of dollars are at stake in the cross-border drug trade.
Hundreds of miles of unsecured border in Texas continued to present a challenge for law enforcement, according to some members of Congress.
"There is spillover crime, I think, occurring right now in the United States," said U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Houston). "It's really just a matter of time before that spillover crime will turn into spillover violence, as we saw today with the Houston police officer."
A 2008 FBI warning reportedly cautioned that a Texas Zetas cell was ready to engage law enforcement with what was described as a "full tactical response."
"You go to the head, you cut it off and you just keep going," Pistone said. "You don't stop until you eliminate the whole organization."
