So, you may have heard that rumor about the Zetas taking over ranches

San Antonio Express 7/26/10
Officials dispute reports of ranch takeover by Zetas
LAREDO — Local law enforcement was bombarded with calls from across the country Saturday asking about a report that the Zetas had taken over two ranches off Mines Road.

But officials with the Laredo Police Department, Webb County Sheriff's Department and Border Patrol said they knew nothing about such an incident, while Erik Vasys, an FBI spokesman in San Antonio, said the agency does not comment on rumors.

“The public would be the first to know if anything was going on,” said Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar on Sunday afternoon. “Our deputies went out there and talked to ranch owners in the area and found nothing.”

The report that the Zetas, the Gulf Cartel's former enforcers, had taken over two Laredo ranches appeared to have initially surfaced around 10 a.m. Saturday on the blog Diggers Realm.

Talking Points Memo 8/13/10
Police Dismiss Blogger's 'Proof' That Drug Cartel Invaded Texas

Kim Dvorak, a conservative reporter in San Diego, has published a police message that she claims is evidence that a Mexican drug cartel really did invade the country in July and take control of two remote ranches near Laredo, Texas. And while local law enforcement says the message proves nothing, Dvorak's latest report does provide clues to how the whole story came to life in the first place.

Dvorak was one of the two bloggers who originally reported the story, which was denied by law enforcement, and then debunked. But Dvorak always stood by the story, and pledged to return with proof.

(snip)
"Basically everyone was shrugging their shoulders," Joe Baeza, an investigator and public affairs officer with the Laredo Police Department, told TPM at the time. "There was no proof or evidence that was found."

"She's trying to save herself from criticism of going too far off a branch. I don't care, I really don't care."