Is Anonymous meddling in the North Korea standoff?

A group of "hactivists" claims to have infiltrated North Korea's hermetically sealed intranet, and they have demands

Things are getting pretty tense in the Koreas. North Korea has already declared a "state of war" with its southern neighbor, threatened to hit the U.S. with nuclear missiles, severed its lines of communication with Seoul, and on Tuesday, said it is restarting its plutonium-generating Yongbyon nuclear plant, shuttered since 2007. The U.S., already conducting joint military exercises with South Korea, has responded by flying stealth bombers over North Korea and deploying battleships along the coast.

In the latest sign of trouble, North Korea early Wednesday blocked access to the jointly run Kaesong industrial park, located just north of the heavily fortified demilitarized zone (DMZ). Kaesong is an important source of hard cash for North Korea, and its continued operation was seen as a sign that much of the recent saber-rattling from Pyongyang was a negotiating tactic by young, untested leader Kim Jong Un.

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With the Korean peninsula one misstep away from a disastrous and bloody war, a branch of the hacktivist collective Anonymous has launched its own battle against North Korea. Over the weekend, Anonymous Korea said that it took down several North Korean websites, including Pyongyang's main external propaganda and news site, by hitting them with distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. The group also claimed to have hacked North Korean government sites, offering the confidential user records of six of the 15,000 accounts it claims to have swiped from Uriminzokkiri.com, a government site hosted in China.

The "North Korean government is increasingly becoming a threat to peace and freedom," the anonymous Anonymous users write in a statement posted at Pastebin. Then, while noting that the "USA is a threat to world peace too," they list their demands:

- N.K. government to stop making nukes and nuke-threats
- Kim Jong Un to resign
- it's time to install a free direct democracy in North Korea
- uncensored internet access for all the citizens!

And some warnings:

To Kim Jong-un:
So you feel the need to create large nukes and threaten half the world with them?
So you're into demonstrations of power?, here is ours:
- We are inside your local intranets (Kwangmyong and others)
- We are inside your mailservers
- We are inside your web servers [Pastebin]

Anonymous Korea ends its missive with this threat: "First we gonna wipe your data, then we gonna wipe your?badass dictatorship 'government.'"

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The first challenge to Anonymous Korea's claims came from a fellow hacker, The Jester, well-known for using his hacking chops to launch cyberattacks against people and groups he considers "bad guys" ? WikiLeaks, 4chan, and jihadist websites, for example. North Korea is obviously on his "bad" list, too:

Yawn. Anonymous hijacking my gig again. mashable.com/2013/03/30/ano?

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? J?ST?R?(@th3j35t3r) March 30, 2013

The bigger challenge is from Asia experts, who note that the nature of North Korea's "internet" casts serious doubts on Anonymous' claims to have infiltrated the country's servers or cloistered web environment. Since Uriminzokkiri.com is hosted on Chinese servers, the group offers no proof it snuck into North Korea's digital kingdom, says Martyn Williams at North Korea Tech.

Getting onto the domestic intranet is highly unlikely based on our current understanding of the network. It's believed to be totally separate from the internet with no network link between the two for security purposes. So a proven hack would be very interesting. [North Korea Tech]

Charlie Custer at Tech in Asia elaborates:

Kwangmyong is a North Korean intranet that was established in the year 2000. Although it operates much like the real internet ? users use web browsers to surf pages, send emails, etc. ? it is actually completely disconnected from the actual internet as a security control. Content from the internet appears on the Kwangmyong network if it has been selected, inspected, and approved by North Korean censors and there is no way to connect to it from outside North Korea. [Tech in Asia]

But while Anonymous' claim "seems dubious at best," Custer adds, "accessing Kwangmyong is not theoretically impossible," if the group somehow snuck some code past "the censors who scan and scrub content from the world wide web before re-posting it to Kwangmyong," or perhaps infecting the computers of the lucky few North Korean officials with access to both the country's intranet and "the 'real' internet."

SEE MORE: Why did Apple apologize to China?

We'll get some answers soon enough, says Jon Russell at The Next Web. "The next activity for the Anonymous #OpFreeKorea campaign is slated as happening on April 19, at which time we're likely to know more about the kind of access that hackers have to North Korea's Internet presence."

Next Schedule : #OpFreeKorea: 04/19#OpKoreanWar: 06/25We are Anonymous. Expect us! #????? #Anonymous

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? Anonymous_Korea (@Anonsj) March 31, 2013

Besides, says Russell, "even if this attack wasn't coordinated by central figures at Anonymous, and regardless of how many credentials were grabbed, it shows that the 'hacktivist' community is turning its attention to North Korea." Whether that's good for the people of North Korea whom Anonymous is purportedly trying to liberate, or for South Korea and the world, remains to be seen.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/anonymous-meddling-north-korea-standoff-065500422.html

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Why Kids & Teens Are Seeing More Junk Food Commercials Than ...

Still from ?LAMPlatoon: How Cereal Gets In Your Head.? Click for video.

Advertising food to children has long been an area of concern. Questions abound as to how much junk food should be advertised during children?s programming, what tactics can be used, if it is having a real impact on childhood obesity?not to mention how (and if) it should be regulated by law. Leading the charge for data collection in this area is the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. Their F.A.C.T.S. (Food Advertising to Children and Teens Score) reports on cereal, fast food and sugary drinks are enough to make pediatricians shudder, but their latest report on overall food advertising on television to children demands action from mega-media companies and anyone with a vested interest in children?s health. I know you?re busy, so here are two key highlights:

In 2009, 86% of all food ads seen by children aged 2-11 promoted items high in saturated fat, sugar or sodium.

On the face of it, this is pretty bad, but it gets more disturbing when you consider that this is after voluntary self-regulation by some of the largest food companies in the world. The Children?s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) was started by the Better Business Bureau in 2006, and set standards for how food companies could advertise their products, placing the toughest restrictions on advertising to children under six years old. The group includes pledges from companies like ConAgra Foods, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Mars,, General Mills and McDonald?s USA. However, there are loopholes. CFBAI pledges define ?child-directed advertising? as advertising which occurs during programs where children make up 30% or more of the audience. Because of this, the CFBAI pledge covers less than half of all food advertisements to children. In fact, young people are seeing more food advertisements than they did in the nascent days of CFBAI: Children saw 5% more food and beverage ads in 2011 than they did in 2007, while the number of food and beverages ads jumped by 23% for teens in the same timeframe.

Nickelodeon aired the most food ads viewed by children in 2011.

That?s right. If your kids are watching hit shows like Spongebob Squarepants, iCarly or Victorious, they?re at the center of the food ad storm. And as this table shows, that storm is pretty significant:

Source: Where children and adolescents view food and beverage ads on TV: Exposure by channel and program, 2013, by Yale Rudd Center on Food Policy and Obesity.

Bear in mind as well that Nickelodeon is owned by Viacom, which also owns MTV and Comedy Central. Put it all together, and Viacom companies alone accounts for more than 40% of food and beverage ads seen by children aged 14 and younger, and 39% of food ads seen by teens aged 15-17.

What can you do about all of this? There?s no single silver bullet, but the most basic is to start by talking about these ads with your kids?why ads appear during certain programs, how the ad tries to grab attention. Monitor the amount of time they spend watching TV, and also snacking in front of the television.

It?s also important that we hold big media accountable when they act irresponsibly. You can email Viacom here, and file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau about CFBAI inadequacies. Spread the word by sharing information with people in your community, or get involved with projects like LAMPlatoon to create media talking back to big media directly. It?s like one of my favorite teachers told me: If you?re not part of the solution, you?re part of the problem.

?Emily Long

Follow The LAMP on Twitter: @thelampnyc
Follow me on Twitter: @emlong

?

Source: http://www.thelampnyc.org/2013/04/03/why-kids-teens-are-seeing-more-junk-food-commercials-than-ever/

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Microsoft co-founder?s multi-billion dollar venture firm eyes Silicon Valley

Paul Allen

Billionaire Microsoft (MSFT) co-founder Paul Allen will be opening an office in Silicon Valley to invest in new technology companies. Allen?s Vulcan Capital is set to open the Palo Alto office in the next few weeks and it will focus on investments in emerging Internet, software and technology companies, including middle and late-stage venture capital and pre-IPO deals, Reuters reports.

[More from BGR: HBO admits piracy is a ?compliment? that doesn?t hurt sales]

In the past, Allen has invested in companies including AOL (AOL), Ticketmaster, DreamWorks SKG (DWA) and cable firm Charter Communications (CHTR). More recently his firm has invested in new technologies such as online real-estate agent Redfin, shopping adviser Decide.com and smartphone audio software maker Audience.

[More from BGR: HTC One Review]

?We are going to expand our footprint in broad tech investments, we?d like to get more resources, people on the ground there (Silicon Valley),? said Paul Ghaffari, Vulcan Capital?s chief investment officer. ?We have a real appetite to put new ideas in the portfolio.?

Vulcan Capital is expected to announce additional details about its Palo Alto office in the next few days.

This article was originally published on BGR.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/microsoft-co-founder-multi-billion-dollar-venture-firm-015624726.html

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Cal rallies past Georgia to reach first Final Four

California head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, right, is embraced by Layshia Clarendon after the team beat Georgia in overtime in a regional final in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Monday, April 1, 2013, in Spokane, Wash. Cal won 65-62. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

California head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, right, is embraced by Layshia Clarendon after the team beat Georgia in overtime in a regional final in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Monday, April 1, 2013, in Spokane, Wash. Cal won 65-62. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

California's Layshia Clarendon (23) puts up a three pointer during the second half in a regional final in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Monday, April 1, 2013, in Spokane, Wash. California beat Georgia 65-62. (AP Photo/Jed Conklin)

California's Afure Jemerigbe drives past Georgia's Shacobia Barbee during the second half in a regional final in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Monday, April 1, 2013, in Spokane, Wash. Cal won in overtime 65-62. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Georgia's bench reacts during the final moments of their game against California in the second half in a regional final in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Monday, April 1, 2013, in Spokane, Wash. California beat Georgia 65-62. (AP Photo/Jed Conklin)

California head coach Lindsay Gottlieb is hugged after her team beat Georgia in overtime in a regional final in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Monday, April 1, 2013, in Spokane, Wash. Cal won 65-62. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) ? California coach Lindsay Gottlieb was in elementary school the last time a West Coast women's basketball program not named Stanford reached the Final Four.

Gottlieb understood the drought and the difficulty in getting to the national semifinals. That's partly why the grin on her face was so wide Monday night when Cal finally snapped that 25-year streak, sending the Golden Bears to New Orleans for the Final Four.

"These kids are brought in," Gottlieb said. "So many things go into it and then you have to get a little lucky and then things have to go right, so I'm really conscious of this is special."

Layshia Clarendon scored 17 of her 25 points in the second half and overtime, and California rallied from 10 down with less than 7 minutes left to beat Georgia 65-62 in the Spokane Regional final, advancing to the national semifinals for the first time in school history.

Long Beach State in 1988 was the last team from the western part of the country other than Stanford to reach the Final Four. During that 25-year span, eight different programs in the West reached the regional finals. But whether it was Long Beach State, Washington, USC, UCLA, Colorado, Utah, Arizona State or Gonzaga, they all came up one game short of advancing ? sometimes at the hands of Stanford.

Not these Golden Bears (32-3), who were picked by President Barack Obama to win the regional in his bracket.

"This is still better than my wildest dreams," Gottlieb said.

The loss ended Georgia coach Andy Landers' hope of reaching the Final Four for the first time since 1999. Georgia last reached the regional finals in 2004 and this was the Lady Bulldogs' 11th trip to the regional finals.

And it nearly became Landers' sixth Final Four.

"They made more plays than we did and they deserve to win the game," Landers said. "I'm disappointed, but I'm proud of our basketball team and the run that we have made."

Shacobia Barbee led Georgia (28-7) with 14 points and 10 rebounds, but the Lady Bulldogs' surprising postseason run that included an upset of Stanford came to a painful end.

"I don't think the words can even explain right now. Disappointed, hurt," said Georgia's Jasmine James, who had 11 points before fouling out. "To have something that you've always wanted to be able to do, just be so close, and to end up getting outworked for it, it hurts."

California will go to the Final Four on the side of the bracket completely blown open by the stunning loss of top-ranked Baylor in the regional semifinals. The Golden Bears will play Tennessee or Louisville in the national semifinals.

It didn't look like another game awaited the Golden Bears, who trailed 49-39 with 6:46 left after Barbee hit a pair of free throws. The Bears got back in it by halftime, overcoming a horrible shooting start, but each run early in the second half was rebuffed by the Lady Bulldogs. Cal missed 18 of its first 19 shots to start the game.

Finally Cal found an answer. Afure Jemerigbe hit her first 3-pointer after missing her previous six attempts. Clarendon scored four straight points and Talia Caldwell got a bucket in the paint. Caldwell then hit a putback of Jemerigbe's missed free throw to tie it at 50.

Tiaria Griffin missed from 3-point range for Georgia and Cal's Brittany Boyd was fouled driving to the rim by James, her fifth foul, leaving Georgia without its floor leader. Boyd hit both free throws and Cal had its first lead since 17-16.

Not having James on the floor had an immediate effect. Georgia turned it over on its next two possessions, helped by a pair of blocked shots by Jemerigbe, the second with 51 seconds left.

But the Bears' free throw struggles that nearly cost them in the second round against South Florida returned when Jemerigbe missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 27 seconds left. Griffin missed another 3-point attempt, but Anne Marie Armstrong got the rebound and scored with 8.5 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. It was Georgia's only field goal over the final 7:45.

"Our whole season has prepped us well for this night," Caldwell said. "Our team's been there, we have done that, so we knew what we needed to get done."

Georgia went up 55-52 when Khaalidah Miller hit a 3 to start overtime, but the Bears then took command. Jemerigbe hit a 3-pointer with 2:48 left to give Cal a 59-55 lead and Clarendon added a rebound putback for a 61-55 advantage with 1:26 remaining.

Barbee hit a pair of free throws with 1:03 left, but instead of fouling, Georgia chose to play defense. Clarendon made them pay, spinning away from Barbee and hitting a 15-footer with 37.9 seconds left for a 63-57 lead.

Georgia got within 64-62, but Clarendon split free throws with 2.1 seconds left and Barbee's desperation shot was off.

"I was smiling a lot in the second half even though we were losing," Clarendon said. "This is why you play basketball for these big moments. Really enjoy them and just relish them."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-02-BKW-NCAA-Georgia-California-Folo/id-c86ef442ff294c7186aa831cf1adbac9

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Anaheim Police Chief John Welter Announces Retirement ...

ANAHEIM POLICE CHIEF JOHN WELTER ANNOUNCES HIS RETIREMENT FOLLOWING A 42-YEAR CAREER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

ANAHEIM, Calif. (April 1, 2013) Anaheim Police Chief John Welter today announced his retirement from the Anaheim Police Department effective May 16, 2013, following a 42-year career in law enforcement, including nine years as Chief of Police for the City of Anaheim.?

As Police Chief, Welter led law enforcement, safety and security operations for California?s 10^th largest city, including oversight of residential areas, business centers, and the City?s internationally recognized sports, entertainment and convention venues ? Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Honda Center, City National Grove of Anaheim, the Anaheim Convention Center, and the Anaheim Resort.

?Chief Welter?s dedication to the City of Anaheim is to be commended, and on behalf of the entire City Council, our thanks for his service to Anaheim?s residents, businesses and guests over these past nine years,? said Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait.? ?Anaheim was founded in 1857 as a small community.? Today Anaheim is a thriving and diverse city.? It takes strong leadership to keep Anaheim safe, and John Welter has provided that and more.? Our congratulations to him and his family.?

?Chief Welter has had a positive impact on the City of Anaheim,? said City Manager Bob Wingenroth.? ?John is a man of integrity and character. He has a heart of compassion for the community and consistently proved to be a strong leader to his officers and civilian staff.? He is an inspiration to many, from his Explorers and senior volunteers, to residents, to business leaders.? On behalf of the City of Anaheim, we offer our sincere appreciation, and we wish him and his wife Terri all the best on this new chapter in his life.?

Welter began his career with the San Diego Police Department, rising to the position of Executive Assistant Chief (second in command).? Upon joining Anaheim on March 22, 2004 as the City?s 31^st Chief of Police, he quickly implemented his vision for the department?s mission, vision and values with an emphasis on innovation, best practices, crime prevention, and community engagement.?

During his tenure, Welter led his department through periods of change and transformation, including the enhancement of law enforcement through technological advancements, initiating dialogue between the community and the police department, as well as his introduction of community oriented policing, a model used by agencies worldwide.

His innovative practices include:

????????? Establishment of the Chief?s Advisory Board, a group of community leaders who through direct access to the Chief present ideas and recommendations based on community input.

????????? Implementation of the Anaheim Family Justice Center (now the Orange County Family Justice Center), a highly-valued service to women, men and children caught in the cycle of abuse.? The Center is also a leader in elder abuse investigation for the County.

????????? Engagement between officers and the community, and this past year alone led and participated in more than 150 community meetings for the purpose of hearing directly from Anaheim?s residents.

Training and education are hallmarks of Welter?s career.? The FBI sent him to Russia to train their police executives on police management and leadership.? From 2000-2006 he consulted and trained police executives in Hungary, the Ukraine, Sweden, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, Columbia and Romania.? Welter trained many police departments throughout the State on community oriented policing and problem solving.? He continues to teach executive development courses throughout the State.

The Anaheim Police Department currently employs 350 sworn officers, and an overall staff of 684.?

For more information on the Anaheim Police Department please visit www.anaheim.net/police.

For more information on the City of Anaheim please visit www.anaheim.net

Source: http://anaheimblog.net/2013/04/01/anaheim-police-chief-john-welter-announces-retirement/

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DARPA working on low-cost robot hands, aims to make yours even more idle (video)

In a bid to crush those typically high robot-making costs, DARPA and its business partners (including iRobot) reckon they can now build high-end robot hands for under $3,000, down from what was once a $10,000 premium. According to The New York Times, the government, specifically the Pentagon, is looking to craft robot mitts that are able to detect improvised explosive devices by touch alone -- something that DARPA's worked on before. To demonstrate the progress it's made so far, the department's released a clip of one of its robots (update: featuring Barrett's WAM arms) stripping a car tire -- you'll find it after the break. Now it just needs to figure out how to get it back on to the wheel.

Filed under: Robots, Alt

Comments

Via: The Verge

Source: The New York Times

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/01/darpa-low-cost-robot-hands/

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Mexican drug cartels send agents north

CHICAGO (AP) ? Mexican drug cartels whose operatives once rarely ventured beyond the U.S. border are dispatching some of their most trusted agents to live and work deep inside the United States ? an emboldened presence that experts believe is meant to tighten their grip on the world's most lucrative narcotics market and maximize profits.

If left unchecked, authorities say, the cartels' move into the American interior could render the syndicates harder than ever to dislodge and pave the way for them to expand into other criminal enterprises such as prostitution, kidnapping-and-extortion rackets and money laundering.

Cartel activity in the U.S. is certainly not new. Starting in the 1990s, the ruthless syndicates became the nation's No. 1 supplier of illegal drugs, using unaffiliated middlemen to smuggle cocaine, marijuana and heroin beyond the border or even to grow pot here.

But a wide-ranging Associated Press review of federal court cases and government drug-enforcement data, plus interviews with many top law enforcement officials, indicate the groups have begun deploying agents from their inner circles to the U.S. Cartel operatives are suspected of running drug-distribution networks in at least nine non-border states, often in middle-class suburbs in the Midwest, South and Northeast.

"It's probably the most serious threat the United States has faced from organized crime," said Jack Riley, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Chicago office.

The cartel threat looms so large that one of Mexico's most notorious drug kingpins ? a man who has never set foot in Chicago ? was recently named the city's Public Enemy No. 1, the same notorious label once assigned to Al Capone.

The Chicago Crime Commission, a non-government agency that tracks crime trends in the region, said it considers Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman even more menacing than Capone because Guzman leads the deadly Sinaloa cartel, which supplies most of the narcotics sold in Chicago and in many cities across the U.S.

Years ago, Mexico faced the same problem ? of then-nascent cartels expanding their power ? "and didn't nip the problem in the bud," said Jack Killorin, head of an anti-trafficking program in Atlanta for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. "And see where they are now."

Riley sounds a similar alarm: "People think, 'The border's 1,700 miles away. This isn't our problem.' Well, it is. These days, we operate as if Chicago is on the border."

Border states from Texas to California have long grappled with a cartel presence. But cases involving cartel members have now emerged in the suburbs of Chicago and Atlanta, as well as Columbus, Ohio, Louisville, Ky., and rural North Carolina. Suspects have also surfaced in Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania.

Mexican drug cartels "are taking over our neighborhoods," Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane warned a legislative committee in February. State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan disputed her claim, saying cartels are primarily drug suppliers, not the ones trafficking drugs on the ground.

For years, cartels were more inclined to make deals in Mexico with American traffickers, who would then handle transportation to and distribution within major cities, said Art Bilek, a former organized crime investigator who is now executive vice president of the crime commission.

As their organizations grew more sophisticated, the cartels began scheming to keep more profits for themselves. So leaders sought to cut out middlemen and assume more direct control, pushing aside American traffickers, he said.

Beginning two or three years ago, authorities noticed that cartels were putting "deputies on the ground here," Bilek said. "Chicago became such a massive market ... it was critical that they had firm control."

To help fight the syndicates, Chicago recently opened a first-of-its-kind facility at a secret location where 70 federal agents work side-by-side with police and prosecutors. Their primary focus is the point of contact between suburban-based cartel operatives and city street gangs who act as retail salesmen. That is when both sides are most vulnerable to detection, when they are most likely to meet in the open or use cellphones that can be wiretapped.

Others are skeptical about claims cartels are expanding their presence, saying law-enforcement agencies are prone to exaggerating threats to justify bigger budgets.

David Shirk, of the University of San Diego's Trans-Border Institute, said there is a dearth of reliable intelligence that cartels are dispatching operatives from Mexico on a large scale.

"We know astonishingly little about the structure and dynamics of cartels north of the border," Shirk said. "We need to be very cautious about the assumptions we make."

Statistics from the DEA suggest a heightened cartel presence in more U.S. cities. In 2008, around 230 American communities reported some level of cartel presence. That number climbed to more than 1,200 in 2011, the most recent year for which information is available, though the increase is partly due to better reporting.

Dozens of federal agents and local police interviewed by the AP said they have identified cartel members or operatives using wiretapped conversations, informants or confessions. Hundreds of court documents reviewed by the AP appear to support those statements.

"This is the first time we've been seeing it ? cartels who have their operatives actually sent here," said Richard Pearson, a lieutenant with the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department, which arrested four alleged operatives of the Zetas cartel in November in the suburb of Okolona.

People who live on the tree-lined street where authorities seized more than 2,400 pounds of marijuana and more than $1 million in cash were shocked to learn their low-key neighbors were accused of working for one of Mexico's most violent drug syndicates, Pearson said.

One of the best documented cases is Jose Gonzalez-Zavala, who was dispatched to the U.S. by the La Familia cartel, according to court filings.

In 2008, the former taxi driver and father of five moved into a spacious home at 1416 Brookfield Drive in a middle-class neighborhood of Joliet, southwest of Chicago. From there, court papers indicate, he oversaw wholesale shipments of cocaine in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana.

Wiretap transcripts reveal he called an unidentified cartel boss in Mexico almost every day, displaying the deference any midlevel executive might show to someone higher up the corporate ladder. Once he stammered as he explained that one customer would not pay a debt until after a trip.

"No," snaps the boss. "What we need is for him to pay."

The same cartel assigned Jorge Guadalupe Ayala-German to guard a Chicago-area stash house for $300 a week, plus a promised $35,000 lump-sum payment once he returned to Mexico after a year or two, according to court documents.

Ayala-German brought his wife and child to help give the house the appearance of an ordinary family residence. But he was arrested before he could return home and pleaded guilty to multiple trafficking charges. He will be sentenced later this year.

Socorro Hernandez-Rodriguez was convicted in 2011 of heading a massive drug operation in suburban Atlanta's Gwinnett County. The chief prosecutor said he and his associates were high-ranking figures in the La Familia cartel ? an allegation defense lawyers denied.

And at the end of February outside Columbus, Ohio, authorities arrested 34-year-old Isaac Eli Perez Neri, who allegedly told investigators he was a debt collector for the Sinaloa cartel.

An Atlanta attorney who has represented reputed cartel members says authorities sometimes overstate the threat such men pose.

"Often, you have a kid whose first time leaving Mexico is sleeping on a mattress at a stash house playing Game Boy, eating Burger King, just checking drugs or money in and out," said Bruce Harvey. "Then he's arrested and gets a gargantuan sentence. It's sad."

Because cartels accumulate houses full of cash, they run the constant risk associates will skim off the top. That points to the main reason cartels prefer their own people: Trust is hard to come by in their cutthroat world. There's also a fear factor. Cartels can exert more control on their operatives than on middlemen, often by threatening to torture or kill loved ones back home.

Danny Porter, chief prosecutor in Gwinnett County, Ga., said he has tried to entice dozens of suspected cartel members to cooperate with American authorities. Nearly all declined. Some laughed in his face.

"They say, 'We are more scared of them (the cartels) than we are of you. We talk and they'll boil our family in acid,'" Porter said. "Their families are essentially hostages."

Citing the safety of his own family, Gonzalez-Zavala declined to cooperate with authorities in exchange for years being shaved off his 40-year sentence.

In other cases, cartel brass send their own family members to the U.S.

"They're sometimes married or related to people in the cartels," Porter said. "They don't hire casual labor." So meticulous have cartels become that some even have operatives fill out job applications before being dispatched to the U.S., Riley added.

In Mexico, the cartels are known for a staggering number of killings ? more than 50,000, according to one tally. Beheadings are sometimes a signature.

So far, cartels don't appear to be directly responsible for large numbers of slayings in the United States, though the Texas Department of Public Safety reported 22 killings and five kidnappings in Texas at the hands of Mexican cartels from 2010 through mid- 2011.

Still, police worry that increased cartel activity could fuel heightened violence.

In Chicago, the police commander who oversees narcotics investigations, James O'Grady, said street-gang disputes over turf account for most of the city's uptick in murders last year, when slayings topped 500 for the first time since 2008. Although the cartels aren't dictating the territorial wars, they are the source of drugs.

Riley's assessment is stark: He argues that the cartels should be seen as an underlying cause of Chicago's disturbingly high murder rate.

"They are the puppeteers," he said. "Maybe the shooter didn't know and maybe the victim didn't know that. But if you follow it down the line, the cartels are ultimately responsible."

___

Follow Michael Tarm at www.twitter.com/mtarm .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-impact-cartels-dispatch-agents-deep-inside-us-082126639.html

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