AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas Department of Public Safety is warning parents to be aware of Mexican cartels and transnational gangs allegedly recruiting in Texas schools.

Officials say the organizations lure teens with cars, money and notoriety and promise if they get caught they will receive a minimal sentence.

One example DPS officials cite is recent cases of El Paso teens they say were recruited to smuggle drugs across the border, many with the packs taped to their bodies.

In 2008, young people from counties along the Mexican border in Texas accounted for 9 percent of the population in Texas, but 18 percent of the felony drug charges and gang-related arrests, DPS officials said.

Officials say parents should talk to their children and pay attention to signs their children are involved in illegal activities.

by ABC-7 Web Producer Annette Arrigucci