The blogger at McNorman sent me this story yesterday and has posted at her blog about it
here. How in God's name did a Mexican cartel take over the ranches? Her
update makes this point:
Understand that Texas is unlike most states. You might not see your neighbors for weeks because some of these ranches are located in very remote and inhospitable areas. The large ranches, particularly those that are reestablishing animal populations or native ecosystems are huge. Some as large as 30,000 acres. The only thing that sits between the US and Mexico is the river. The only surveillance that is available is a BP helicopter that makes rounds. That is it.