abcnews | Mexican drug cartel pirates have made their debut on Falcon Lake in Zapata County, Texas.
Zapata County's popular Falcon Lake is a new flashpoint in drug war.
Texans have reported seeing armed boatmen on the lake, which hosts some of the largest bass fishing tournaments in the U.S. and shares a border with the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas. Not unlike the infamous Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, pirates on this lake have reportedly wielded high-powered rifles and automatic weapons.
After several incidents in the past month, including armed robbery and attempted armed robbery, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Zapata County Sheriff's Department are urging all boaters to stay out of Mexican waters. (The international border is in the middle of the lake.)
"It's piracy," said Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez. "It may not be on the high seas, but they are taking advantage of people on this lake by threatening and robbing them."
On April 30, five U.S. men on two separate boats ventured into the area of Old Guerrero, a colonial town that's now a ghost town, on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake, according to a press release from the Texas Department of Public safety (TDPS).