LOCAL GANGS: TIES WITH MEXICAN CARTELS TROUBLING

So far, the drug war in Juarez hasn't spilled over into the United
States in dire, tangible ways.

But if it's true that two of El Paso's gangs will battle each other on
behalf of rival Mexican drug lords, then there's a new threat to
innocents on this side of the border.

The local FBI is reporting the Barrio Azteca and Los Surenos gangs
show signs of a power struggle. Los Surenos is aligned with the
Sinaloa cartel. Barrio Azteca is believed to be strongly aligned with
the Juarez cartel.

Barrio Azteca carries out drug-cartel business on the U.S. side of the
border. It is El Paso's most notorious gang and has been a frequent
target of local law-enforcement stings.

Now authorities are confirming the presence of about 400 Surenos in El
Paso.

Marco Cordero of the FBI's gang task force pointed out two possible
scenarios. The two gangs can work together or "they can do what the
cartels are doing in Juarez, fight for control of the plaza, in this
case El Paso."

Others point out these two gangs have never been aligned. And El Paso
Detective Andres Sanchez, a gang investigator, said, "The information
that we have is that they are not getting along." He said there have
been instances of late involving the two gangs, including assaults and
stabbings.

Authorities say the Surenos are under the California Mexican Mafia and
have broken off into 200 cliques, or gangs, throughout the U.S.

If Los Surenos have, indeed, aligned with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman
Loera's invading Sinaloa drug cartel, then it would be obvious they
are the enemy of El Paso's Barrio Aztecas.

If there's any good news at all here, it's that local law enforcement
has this pegged. In fact, the recent Operation Knockdown led to the
arrests of 54 Barrio Aztecas. And there have been previous large-scale
arrests of gang members.

But the fact remains, if two gangs in El Paso each side with different
warring Mexican drug cartels, the possibility of spillover is there.