are luring them in with fast cash, promising they re going to get off if they get caught but what the sales pitch doesn t mention is what the cartels will do if the teen smugglers botch the job. kris gutierrez is in el paso with this extraordinary story. kris. reporter: jen yark the bottom line is american teenagers know they can make a couple hundred bucks by carrying a bagful of dope from war eds on the other side of the river into el paso here. they think it s easy money but authorities say it s extremely dangerous. an american teenager was busted while trying to smuggle this load of marijuana into the u.s. from mexico. authorities say the young man driving this truck was recruited by a mexican drug cartel. they ll tell them look, you re a juvenile, you re not going to go to jail, nothing is going to happen to you. over the past ten years, 476 juveniles have been caught with drugs at a point of entry in el paso county, 302 of them were u.s.
in the violence-riddled country, marringing its bloodiest year to date, 3100 people dead, killed in ciad ciadad war eds,o jaurez, seeing its homicide rates soar after turf wars between drug gangs in 2008. former officer for the dea, michael, good morning to you, and happy new year. good morning, bill. bill: if the truce holds, what does that tell you likal? well, if the truce holds, it s further proof that president calderon s very aggressive strategy of breaking the backs of the cartels is working. you know, and that s i think folks are unsure right now, if this letter that has been passed around the city of waez and other locations is even authentic but the la