Steve Neavling

Federal authorities are alarmed at what appears to be an increase in cartels recruiting children and teenagers to smuggle drugs over the U.S. border, NBC 7 in San Diego reports.

Federal agents said children as young as 12 are being used as drug mules.

“It shocks me and saddens me that kids are getting involved. It doesn’t shock me that cartels will use whatever method they need,” Jose Garcia, a deputy special agent for ICE Homeland Security Investigations, told NBC 7.

Cartels are recruiting children outside schools and malls and by using social media, agents told NBC 7.

Making matters worse, the children appear to be moving more meth across the border.

Steve Neavling

A year-long investigation into a Somali terror group’s efforts to recruit Americans may be gathering steam in Minnesota, the Associated Press reports.

The FBI has been focusing on Minnesota because it’s home to the largest Somali population in the U.S., according to the AP.

Fueling fears that al-Shabab is succeeding in its efforts was the recent revelation that a Minnesota man traveled to Somalia to join the terrorist group, his family said.

The AP noted that the FBI has been interviewing and subpoenaing Somalis in the state, a potential sign that the investigation is gaining traction.

Steve Neavling

 The FBI is expanding its recruiting efforts to find a diverse pool of candidates for a variety of special agent jobs, the Sacramento Bee reports.

The FBI is on the hunt for CPAs, Chinese-Mandarin speakers and candidates skillful in cyber-network administration.

The FBI typically only hires for two weeks twice a year, but the agency is adding an additional two weeks to attract “a more diverse candidate pool,” Steve Dupre, recruitment coordinator for the FBI’s Easter Division, told the Sacramento Bee.

Since Aug. 1, the FBI has received about 7,500 application for special agent jobs.

To apply, visit www.fbijobs.gov.