Isis Expansion Along U.S. Borders

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Our southern border is long and U.S. border patrol agents work to fight illegal activity like illegal immigration, drugs and now according to an FBI consultant, the border could be an attractive region for ISIS thanks in part to powerful drug lords.

"Drug dealers have found a way to move money without it being followed,” said Tyrone Powers, Former FBI Agent. “They found a way to move people in and out and they found a way to move product."

That product powers refers to is tons and tons of meth, heroin and pot transferred through a labyrinth of tunnels from Mexico.

Drugs that are headed for the streets of the U.S.

But these tunnels could easily be an underground highway for ISIS to spawn its brutality here.

"The stronger they get over there, the more power they have so I can definitely see, in the future, collaboration between terrorist groups and drug dealers to our south," said Senator Lindsey Graham, South Carolina, 2016 Presidential Candidate

"It's individuals they bring into this country, maybe at some point, suicide bombers which is really scary and then weapons of mass destruction," said Powers.

Terrorist experts say the epidemic of unstable leadership in Mexico, combined with ruthless drug cartels creates a vacuum.

"What's been going on in Mexico creates an opportunity for any organization to try to take advantage of it, whether it's ISIS or Al Shabbab," said Brandon Behlendorf, Terrorist Targeting Strategist.

Two major drug cartels that could attract ISIS cover a lot of land in Mexico. Both skirt the U.S. border.

The Sinalos Federation takes up western Mexico and borders Texas to California.

Los Zetas occupies eastern Mexico and hugs the southern Texas border.

Experts say Al Qaeda already tried linking up with drug lords in Mexico roughly 15 years ago. But to no avail.

But Isis is far more determined than Al Qaeda.

"It makes logical sense for ISIS to do this,” said powers. “But I do not think they'll be catching the intelligence agencies off guard, because this has been a persistent problem whether it was Al Qaeda or any other group."

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