Time to Declare War on Mexican Drug Cartels

• Powerful cartels operate on both sides of the U.S-Mexico border
• Cartels rake in $52 billion from smuggling humans and drugs
• Two large cartels export most of the deadly fentanyl into America
• Seizures of fentanyl at the border are at historic levels 

The killings of two Americans in Mexico are a grim reminder that drug cartels are an imminent threat to Americans. Cartels operate with impunity, smuggling immigrants and illicit drugs into the country. These powerful gangs are responsible for lawlessness that permeates the southern border.

Mexico has for too long turned a blind eye to the drug cartels. Criminal organizations control wide swaths of Mexico, free from police interference.  Violent wars between the cartels often leave a bloody trail of bodies, which sparks a short-lived response from the Mexican army. 

With few exceptions, Mexican government officials at every level are on cartel payrolls, former Attorney General Anthony Barr said in a recent interview.  Over the years, the U.S. government has forked over billions of dollars to Mexico for beefed up security with no discernible impact on crime. 

The Sinaloa Cartel, a transnational syndicate, is the the largest and most powerful in Mexico,  Heavily armed Sinola criminals operate in 22 of the 31 Mexican states.  An emerging rival is the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNC), which has a presence in two-thirds of the country.  

These two cartels along with smaller gangs dominate the human smuggling and distribution of drugs into America.  Illicit drugs produced by the cartels include fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine. These drugs are fueling a devastating rise in overdose deaths in the U.S.  

One reason the cartels remain untouchable in Mexico is that the organizations generate more revenue than most legitimate businesses in that country.  The U.S. cannot rely on Mexico's narco state government because its economy benefits from the flow of American dollars from cartel activities. 

Not satisfied with operating only in Mexico, the cartels have spread tentacles into our country. The National Drug Intelligence Center estimates cartels have connections with criminals in 1,286 American cities.  In 143 of these cities, there are cartel operatives.  Cartels are no longer just a Mexican problem.

Their presence is sparking Mexican-style cartel violence. Six people, including a six-month old baby, were shot dead in California's Central Valley in January.  The county sheriff did not hesitate to connect the killings to Mexican cartels illegal drug trade.

"I think it's specifically connected to the cartel.  The level of violence...this was not your run-of-the-mill low end gang member," Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said. Biden officials were unmoved, insisting the border is secure. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appears unwilling to act.   

More than 106,000 Americans died of overdoses of illicit or prescription drugs in 2021, the most recent data available.  The fatalities include 80,411 deaths from synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl.  Methamphetamines accounted for 53,495 deaths, reports the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

The U.S. attorney's office in San Diego in cooperation with law enforcement officials seized nearly 500,000 fake pills laced with fentanyl last year.  The  Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) identified local couriers, stash-house managers and criminals who smuggled the proceeds to Mexico.  

During 2022, the DEA seized 50.6 million fentanyl pills and 10,500 pounds of fentanyl powder.  The agency's lab estimates these seizures add up to 379 million potential doses, enough to kill every American. No doubt tens of millions of pills were smuggled undetected into the U.S.

Those staggering figures are why the Mexican cartels collect an estimated $39 billion in drug profits. Experts figure the cartels net another $13 billion from smuggling illegal immigrants across the border.  Last year there were 2.4 million illegal immigrants encountered by U.S. Border Patrol agents. 

Each illegal paid a cartel coyote.  More than 500,000 immigrants slipped past patrol agents and are living in the shadows in cities throughout the nation. Some were ferried to their destinations by Americans who were paid by the cartel.  

Americans, except those who live in border states, appear not to care about the unprecedented influx of illegal immigrants.  Perhaps, the deaths of Americans in Matamoras will finally stir American outrage and action by the Biden Administration.  

There have been calls by Republicans to designate the Mexican cartels as terrorists and to use military action. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador reacted angrily, threatening to meddle in U.S. elections with a disinformation campaign against the GOP.  

If there is any lingering doubt, the Mexican president's reaction should convince the Biden Administration that the nation's chief executive will do whatever he can to protect the cartels and their main source of income, the smuggling of humans and drugs into the U.S. 

To add to the indignation, Mexican officials blame Americans for the drug smuggling.  Cartels are only servicing the drug habits of Americans, they shrug.  However, these hooligans also use illicit drugs turn Americans into addicts.  Since when is poisoning Americans acceptable, even if they want drugs?

The Biden Administration has a choice.  Ignore the fact that the U.S. is enabling the cartels by allowing human and drug smuggling at the border.  Biden's laissez faire border policy is enriching the cartels and enhancing their power and influence in Mexico and the U.S. 

The other choice is to unleash American law enforcement, intelligence agencies and the military to crush the cartels, interrupting their operations and bringing gang leaders to justice. America did it once before when it went after the cartel bosses in Columbia.  The U.S. can do it again.