US President Donald Trump has made drug trafficked into his country a major reason for his policy of forcing illegal migrants out of the USA, sealing the borders, raiding neighbouring countries to flush out drug cartels and bombing boats with impunity in the Caribbean Sea. But he has done precious little to destroy the network that drug cartels have built over the years within the US itself, in which US arms sellers, fuel companies and real estate dealers are complicit. The elimination of Nemesio Oseg uera Cervantes, known as ‘El Mencho’, leader of the Jalisco Nueva Generacion drug cartel in Mexico by Mexican special forces, a heavy blow to the drug cartel indeed and the subsequent surge in violence have laid bare this nexus.
The Mexican government and diplomats have joined the chorus of demanding immediate actions from the Trump administration to decapitate the cartels operating on its own soil. This is the real story that has remained buried in Trump’s strident campaign against drug trafficking and illegal migration which, as experts say, cannot be dealt with in isolation till the US cleans up its own house where it is sheltering drug overlords in one form or the other. The decision by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to step up her crackdown has prompted renewed calls for the US to do more on its side of the border. The ground reality is that the killing of El Mencho has done little to dismantle his cartel’s critical US operations, which will continue unabated unless Washington takes measures to neutralise the drug mafia in its own territory. Tenacity of the Jalisco cartel, also known as CJNG, was evident after its gunmen went berserk, after El Mencho was shot and killed, when they attacked the police and military in retaliation. That was a measure of loyalty and togetherness he had inculcated in his followers. The immediate response of El Mencho’s gang was to torch buildings and block roads across Mexico in a frightening display of its territorial reach that made headlines worldwide, demonstrating his organising prowess even after his demise.
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Not surprisingly, the cartel has extensive networks on the US side of the border, but it has received far less attention even though it constitutes the lifeline of the cartel’s power and profits. These enable it to source military-grade weapons, smuggle billions of dollars’ worth of fuel procured illegally and in a clandestine manner from Mexico and launder billions more in cartel cash. Much of the wealth built in this fashion is being used for buying real estate properties in several states of the USA which has become an important haven for cartels, especially the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), experts say. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said that the Trump administration “has worked closely with the Mexican government” to stop the scourge of drugs and criminals entering the US. She also emphasised that President Trump will continue to do everything in his power to keep America safe from these vicious criminals and the drugs they use to “poison our country.” Mouthing such pious platitudes and promises unmatched by concrete actions do not mitigate the problems in Mexico as they only trigger fresh waves of violence in a country where the drug war has already cost tens of thousands of lives.
A Mexican Congressman, Alfonso Ramirez, a close ally of Sheinbaum, has asserted the United States can no longer turn a blind eye to Mexico’s demands for effective offensive on drug cartels in its own territory.
According to him, the US needs to improve efforts to go after money laundering, fuel smuggling and, most importantly, weapons smuggled from the US into Mexico. Admittedly, drug traffickers cannot be completely eliminated as long as there is strong demand within the US. A chilling revelation is the fact that when Mexican Special Forces descended on a cabin in a picturesque mountain town where El Mencho was waiting for a visit from his girlfriend, his men fought back, armed predominantly with US weapons. This fact was disclosed by the Mexican Army chief Ricardo Trevilla at a Press conference. In fact, about 80 per cent of the 23,000 weapons the Mexican government has seized since Sheinbaum took office in late 2024 came from the US. The Jalisco cartel, in particular, has almost effortlessly procured heavy, military-grade artillery from US gun shops across the country, according to US and Mexican authorities.
Through one of its gun-running networks, the cartel obtained guns from more than a dozen US states, including .50 caliber rifles capable of downing helicopters and FN SCAR assault rifles designed for US Special Forces, according to an independent investigation. While such firepower can be bought legally in the US, the arms become illegal once they enter Mexico, which has tight gun regulations. The US President will be doing colossal disservice to the fight against drug cartels if he gives tacit approval to US-based activities that are critical to the cartel’s survival and profits. The death of its leader is not going to have any impact on the noxious nexus of drug cartels since US companies and professionals – from fuel traders to cell phone retailers to stockbrokers – are believed to be complicit.
