According to El Paso Times, county police have opened a probe to investigate on two billboards located installed in the South and Far East El Paso that contain threatening messages.
One of the billboards, which was found on the 9400 block of Gateway East Boulevard, read "Plata o Plomo." According to the local paper, the phase is a loose translation of "Pay up of Die." The other billboard, located on the 5200 block of Gateway East Boulevard, read "Dying for Drugs."
Officials have said that both of the billboards had mannequins dressed in suits and were left hanging from nooses off to one side of the billboards. The billboards were reported to the police at around 6AM the same day the disturbing signs were found by the public. There are no details yet on who had installed the signs, or who have ordered the grim installations. However, billboard company Lamar Advertising, who owns one of the billboards, said that the message is not a paid advertisement.
Lamar Advertising general manager Michael Mons in the New Mexico and El Paso region said, "We are aware of it, it is vandalism and graffiti done over the night. It is not an advertisement and we are working with the El Paso Police Department to have it removed."
The billboards quickly became chatter on morning radio and social media, El Paso Times said.
El Paso Police Department spokesman Sergeant Chris Mears said in a statement, "This symbol has historically been used by Mexican drug cartels to threaten or intimidate Mexican citizens, business owners and government officials; however, we have never experienced this in El Paso. The investigation is on-going, but we do not have any information to suggest this was done to target any individual person or business at this time."
People in El Paso are reportedly concerned about the billboards, especially if they were done by Mexican cartels. This is given the fact that the county is near Mexico.
Former Drug Enforcement Administration agent and ex-El Paso Intelligence Center direct Phil Jordan said, "Whoever did this went through a lot of work to get get this accomplished. This is possibly a message to someone who hasn't cooperated with the cartels. But, even if it's a hoax, something like this is going to make the El Paso population uneasy, given that the city is not far from the killing fields of Mexico."
