Long tranquil in recent years as bloodshed flooded other swaths of Mexico in recent years, the lands bordering far South Texas have exploded as the Zetas commanded by El Lazca — Heriberto Lazcano — battle the Gulf Cartel.
The Mexican towns near Falcon Lake have become battlefields as the two groups war for smuggling routes into Texas. Searching for new sources of revenue, the Zetas have branched into kidnapping, extortion and robbery. In some towns near Falcon, nearly everyone has fled.
U.S. anglers all but evaporated from Falcon last October following the reported murder of a Colorado man, David Hartley, who crossed the lake on jet skis with his wife to tour the half-submerged town of Guerrero on the Mexican bank.
Hartley, his wife told police, was shot in the head by armed thugs who swarmed the couple in boats. The attack followed reports last spring of Mexican "pirates" assaulting U.S. fishermen.
Increased security
Hartley's body never has been recovered. Local and Texas state officials point to the attack as proof that Mexico's gangland wars, which have killed more than 35,000 people over the last four years, threaten to cross the border.
"I have to inform the public about what's happening," said Sheriff Sigifrido Gonzalez Jr. of Zapata County, who has placed widely ignored signs at boat ramps warning U.S. anglers of the dangers of fishing in Mexican waters.
Reacting both to Hartley's presumed murder and gangland battles in nearby towns, hundreds of Mexican soldiers and marines have poured into the Falcon Lake area. Mexican military helicopters frequently patrol the area. Authorities on the U.S. side have beefed up their presence as well.
The added security has brought a wary calm, at least to the Texas shore. Local fishing guides and tackle shops say business has returned almost to normal in recent weeks. Bass boats towed by pickup trucks and SUVs clog the parking lots of Zapata's hotels and restaurants.
"We've seen a number of boaters back in town. There are calls coming in," said Celia Balderas, an official with the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce, which is sponsoring fishing tournaments this spring. "Protection is the greatest it's ever been on Falcon Lake."
Deserted streets
But that security is far less assured across the lake.
The Mexican army killed three alleged gangsters Thursday near Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, near Falcon Lake's dam. And soldiers last week seized five tons of marijuana in Miguel Aleman, a town across the Rio Grande from the Texas town of Roma, 40 miles south of Zapata.
Many of the 6,000 residents who fled Zetas attacks last year in Ciudad Mier, a few miles outside Miguel Aleman, have yet to return despite the deployment of Mexican troops. The streets of the 258-year-old town remain deserted, most shops shuttered.
The Zetas continue to raid Mier, some residents say, coming with the dark after the soldiers withdraw. Three men were kidnapped three weeks ago, one left dead on the outskirts of town, the others still missing.
"Why isn't there protection for all of us? I don't know," said Mayor Alberto Gonzalez, 64, who took office Jan. 1. "But people are coming back little by little. Their land is here. They have to come back sooner or later."
The mayor said he expects Mier to be completely pacified once the army provides the promised battalion-strength base this spring.