By Ricardo Lezama Epigmenio Ibarra, a prominent Mexican journalist and filmmaker, has characterized the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as “just another cartel,”criticizing its interventions in Mexico as exacerbating violence and instability. This perspective aligns with concerns that U.S. intelligence operations, particularly those targeting high-profile cartel figures, often “stir the hornet’s nest” of drug trafficking in Mexico, leading to unintended and severe consequences.
A notable example is the July 2024 arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, by U.S. authorities.This operation, conducted without coordination with Mexican officials, ignited a violent power struggle within the cartel, resulting in significant bloodshed in Sinaloa. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador criticized the U.S. for acting unilaterally, stating that such actions contribute to instability and violence in Mexico.
Privacy, Reach & Mass Participation
Increasingly, the appetite US consumers have for Mexican imported drugs is showcasing the manner in which effectively the DEA is also fighting the general American population with the sheer number of cases bought to court.
The DEA’s “Operation Last Mile,” targeting associates of the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels within the U.S., has also faced scrutiny. While the operation led to numerous arrests and drug seizures, it highlighted the extensive reach of these cartels into American communities and raised questions about the effectiveness of such strategies in curbing drug trafficking and associated violence. In the first publicly released presser, the DEA noted the following:
Operation Last Mile comprised 1,436 investigations conducted from May 1, 2022 through May 1, 2023, in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement partners, and resulted in 3,337 arrests and the seizure of nearly 44 million fentanyl pills, more than 6,500 pounds of fentanyl powder, more than 91,000 pounds of methamphetamine, 8,497 firearms, and more than $100 million. The fentanyl powder and pill seizures equate to nearly 193 million deadly doses of fentanyl removed from communities across the United States, which have prevented countless potential drug poisoning deaths. Among these investigations, more than 1,100 cases involved social media applications and encrypted communications platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Wire, and Wickr
DEA, 2023 announCEMENT
These incidents underscore the complex dynamics of U.S.-Mexico cooperation in combating drug trafficking.Critics argue that aggressive U.S. interventions can destabilize regions, leading to increased violence and questioning the efficacy of such approaches in addressing the root causes of drug trafficking and cartel influence.