CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico -- A local expert says leaving a threatening note on a pig's head could represent a turning point in the drug war because it means politicians are now targets. It is a new turn in the cartel wars as the Juarez mayor receives a death threat.

UTEP Political Science professor Mario Payan said a note on a pig's head is a dangerous sign.

KFOX asked him what it means for El Paso since the Juarez mayor lives on this side of the border. "Generally, when they leave a pig's head it means you are breaking an agreement," said Payan.

Payan said there's no telling what kind of agreement the mayor was engaged in. On Wednesday, Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz stated that he knows that cleaning up the police force has affected those involved in crime. Ferriz made this statement after the pig's head was found in a Juarez neighborhood. "Even the new recruits that came in a year ago or less, perhaps they themselves are saying the mayor is affecting our interest and we now need to send a threat," said Payan.

Payan said he knows all cartels use these psychological tactics but political figures have never been a target until now. He says the violence could spill into El Paso since Ferriz lives here.

"It is entirely possible that when the mayor stops being the mayor of Juarez in October and if the situation doesn't come under control, they may come target his own family or himself here in El Paso, Texas," said Payan.

Payan said the political class in Mexico has been spared, but that doesn't mean it will be like that in the future. "But it's a turning point that the mayor of a major city in Mexico is now being threatened in a very intimidating way with the kind of symbolism the pig's head represents," said Payan.