we ve had, along the border, shootings. we ve had, along the border, murders, home invasions, burglaries, rapes. all types of crime where it s associated with what i call spillover violence. reporter: siggy gonzalez was the sheriff of zap ata county, texas and oversaw the investigation of the hartley incident. he has retired since our interview. i remember when i started as a deputy sheriff back in the 1970s, where this was used for drug trafficking. human trafficking. being used like that forever. reporter: and lately, even before the hartleys trip to falcon lake, gonzalez says a new threat has emerged. pirates. totally inaccurate. definition of piracy a lot different than what i know it to be. had one robbery on the lake totally.
straddling the u.s.-mexican border two hours north of mcallen. we ve had along the border, shootings. we ve had along the border, murders, home invasions, burglaries, rapes. all types of crime where it s associated with what i call spillover violence. reporter: siggy gonzalez was the sheriff in zapata, texas, and oversaw the investigation of the hartley incident. he has retired since our interview. i remember when i started as a deputy sheriff back in the 1970s, where this was used for drug trafficking. human trafficking. being used like that forever. reporter: and lately, even before the hartleys trip to falcon lake, gonzalez says a new threat has emerged. pirates. totally inaccurate.
absolutely not. since 2004 the state department says 200 americans have been killed in mexico and nearly all caught up in the vicious firefights between rival drug cartels. it is no different even along this peaceful 28-mile-long lake straddling the u.s.-mexican border two hours north of mccallon. we ve had along the border shootings. we ve had along the border murders. home invasions, burglaries, rapes. all types of crime where it s associated with what i call spillover violence. . igi gonzalez was the sheriff of zapata county, texas and oversaw the investigation of the hartley incident. he has retired since our interview.
texas and oversaw the investigation of the hartley incident. he has retired since our interview. i remember when i first started as a deputy sheriff back in the 1970s, where this lake was used for drug trafficking. human trafficking. it s used it s been used like that forever. reporter: and lately, even before the hartleys trip to falcon lake, gonzalez says a new threat has emerged. pirates. totally inaccurate. you know, the definition for piracy is a lot different than what i know it to be. you know, we ve had one robbery on the lake totally. reporter: robert speedy colett, who owns a fishing lodge here, admits he s been stopped by drug cartel members but he also bristles at news reports of piracy and danger. these reports have decimated his business on the lake, which he insists is safe as long as you know the rules. it happened to me. i didn t run. they boarded. they found out i wasn t a