“A cross-border drug gang born in the prison cells of Texas has evolved into a sophisticated paramilitary killing machine that U.S. and Mexican officials suspect is responsible for thousands of assassinations here,” The Washington Post reports. “Including the recent ambush and slaying of three people linked to the U.S. consulate.” Well that sucks. But evolution isn’t just a theory. With so many criminals competing for a slice of the action, the appearance of a gun-slinging murder-for-hire niche was inevitable. And lo . . . “Officials on both sides of the border have watched as the [Barrio Azteca gang members] honed their ability to locate targets, stalk them and finally strike in brazen ambushes involving multiple chase cars, coded radio communications, coordinated blocking maneuvers and disciplined firepower by masked gunmen in body armor. Afterward, the assassins vanish, back to safe houses in the Juarez barrios or across the bridge to El Paso.” Uh-oh. Sounds . . . professional. Then again . . .
