According to a veteran deputy from Kinney County, Deputy Molinar, cartels are using TikTok to post “help wanted” ads for human smuggling.
One ad on the social media platform said, “I need drivers based in Texas. Only serious enquires. Good pay: $10-20K USD in 3 hours. Houston, TX, Dallas, TX, San Marcos, TX, San Marcos, San Antonio, Austin, TX, Waco, TX, Temple, TX. Follow me and DM me if interested and if you have car or truck. We will pay more if you have a trailer.”
“99.9% of smugglers they encounter and arrest are American citizens,” said Sheriff Brad Coe of Kinney County.
“We’re seeing all walks of life. We’ve had those that are hurting for money, they’re in a bind financially and are looking to make an easy buck,” he continued. “We’ve picked up a couple attorneys that have been smuggling.”
“Recently, we caught two girls from active duty, or at this point in time, I think they were National Guard or active duty smuggling. So we’ve seen it all. I ran a check on one kid; he was out of the DFW area.
“Checked to see where he lived, did a little background looking. And of course he’s living at home, his folks are living in like a $600,000 house. So I don’t think he was here for the money; I think he was here for the thrill. And then there are those who want to make a name for themselves, or try to join a gang or do whatever to get into part on that clique to make the easy money. It’s just not worth it,” the sheriff added.
“Luxury goods are also part of the promise,” according to The Post Millennial.
Reporting from The Post Millennial:
TikTok is not the only platform that is guilty of allowing cartels to advertise on their app. Others include Instagram, Craigslist, Facebook, and Snapchat. The difference between TikTok and these other platforms is that TikTok both acknowledges smuggling is happening and continues to allow the behavior. Other platforms at least make an effort to combat and remove the content.
