America's Most Dangerous Mountain, Where Mexican Cartels Now Have TOTAL Control: 'It's like a scene out of Sicario'
A Catholic Church-owned mountain that towers nearly a mile high near El Paso,
Texas - its giant statue of Jesus Christ for decades drawing faithful to the summit - has been turned by Mexican cartels into a human smuggling stronghold where migrants are robbed, beaten and raped while chasing entry into the US.
Mount Cristo Rey sits largely on American soil - located just inside the border at Sunland Park,
New Mexico, where that state, Texas and Mexico all meet along a now-perilous boundary.
The mountain is now totally controlled by Mexican cartels who use it to sneak illegal immigrants into the country - sparking warnings to any visitors.
Officials from the Texas Department of Public Safety gave the DailyMail.com a first-hand look at the peril within Mount Cristo Rey, passing out night vision goggles for a covert helicopter tour after dark - the busiest time for migrant smuggling.
They explained that any green dots we would see through the special gear were smugglers whose body heat was visible with the goggles.
Sure enough, as we looked down at the mountain's Mexican side and put the goggles up to our eyes, the terrain was absolutely crawling in green dots - reminiscent of a scene right of the Hollywood movie 'Sicario.'
With an elevation of 4,675 feet, Mount Cristo Rey is located where Texas, New Mexico and Mexico meet
With an elevation of 4,675 feet, the highest reaches of the mountain are a no-man's land, with no law enforcement presence - allowing the gang members to rob, beat and sexually assault unchecked.
On the US side, people who live at the base describe the horrors of naked migrant women showing up at their doorsteps covered in blood and begging for help.
The cartels control the mountain - not US authorities - even though at the summit, the smugglers are in the US illegally.
With a giant statue of Jesus Christ at the summit, a mountain near El Paso, Texas has become an unlikely cartel stronghold, where people are trafficked, robbed, beaten and raped.
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