Border violence creeps north, fed says

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Violence from the Mexican drug cartel is moving north into New Mexico and it's only expected to get worse.

"People don't consider Albuquerque a border town, but we've seen boarder violence come up into Albuquerque," U. S. Marshal Gorden Eden told KRQE News 13 Monday.

Last week the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Deputies arrested Gerardo Nuñez whom investigators said has ties to a Mexican drug cartel. Nuñez and two other men are suspected of involvement in the killing of Danny Baca, an errant drug courier who angered the cartel by running off with a load of marijuana.

Investigators alleged Nuñez hired Danny Baca and Joseph Laycock to transport the pot from Mexico to Texas. But instead of making the drop, the pair kept the dope and car and ran to Albuquerque.

The U.S. Marshal's Service has warrants for Jaime Veleta and Mario Talavera who are believed to have joined Nuñez and an unidentified cartel member in snatching Baca at gunpoint.

Crimes like that may be more common, and Eden said he believes the violence in New Mexico is increasing.

New Mexico is enchanting to drug cartels because there are fewer officers per capita allowing for more border violence, he continued. The intersection of Interstates 25 and 40 also aid in transporting contraband, Eden added.