Pablo Clark Guillen, a 31-year-old member of the La Linea Cartel, was recently apprehended at his residence in El Paso, Texas. Guillen had eight outstanding warrants for his arrest and has been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a controlled substance.
According to Border Report, Guillen is also implicated in human smuggling activities. In November, he was reportedly involved in a series of incidents where he brandished a shotgun and rifle from his vehicle at other road users.
Texas Highway Patrol Troopers and members of the Border Patrol’s Ysleta Anti-Smuggling Unit were responsible for Guillen's arrest. During the search of his home, authorities discovered 19 ecstasy pills and a shotgun suspected to have been used in an alleged assault.
Insight Crime reports that La Linea is a faction of the Juárez Cartel, one of Mexico's oldest criminal organizations. Initially formed as a group of hitmen composed of ex-police officers for the Juárez Cartel, La Linea gained prominence as the rest of the cartel declined. Its criminal activities primarily involve drug trafficking but also extend to human trafficking, extortion, kidnapping. Furthermore, it is believed that La Linea has been outsourced by other cartels for violent enforcement tasks. The main area under its influence is Ciudad Juárez.
In August, Mexican officials accused La Linea of targeting state police in Chihuahua over a weekend incident that resulted in one officer's death and four others being injured. As per KTSM reports, this was seen as retaliation for the state's dismissal of a local police force allegedly working on behalf of the cartels.
La Linas is believed to control the Juárez Cartel’s flow of drugs up to the U.S.-Mexico border.
