(NewsNation) — Two powerful Mexican drug cartels are not only operating fentanyl and other illicit drug markets in all 50 U.S. states, but have also successfully eliminated their drug-dealing competition using violence and other means, according to a report issued by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
The Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are at the heart of the deadliest drug threat that the U.S. has ever faced, the federal report said. Federal officials have reported that 200 U.S. deaths are linked to fentanyl each day and that 38,000 deaths tied to the drug were reported in the first six months of 2023 alone.
But the two transnational criminal organizations have not only infiltrated states along the U.S. southern border with drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine. They have also taken the major distribution of the dangerous substances from local drug dealers and gangs in states like Florida, Illinois and New York by manufacturing their product by the ton.
More concerning, perhaps, is that the powerful cartels have taken a foothold in unexpected places like Mississippi, Montana and Wyoming, expanding the footprint of the two criminal organizations while taking charge of how fentanyl and other drugs are distributed.
Both organizations rely on major drug wholesalers and established trafficking routes to get into major U.S. cities. They also use smaller branches of the cartels to work with local drug trafficking groups and gangs — along with social media channels like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok — to get drugs into the hands of users on the streets and into schools, the DEA report says.
“The cartels are here in the United States, and not only are they here, but they’re comfortable,” Robert Almonte, a former U.S. Marshal and former El Paso Police Department narcotics detective, told NewsNation, adding he believes dealing with the cartels will only get worse for U.S. officials.
He added, “They’re feeding America’s appetite for these drugs.”
The Sinaloa cartel’s US operation
The Sinaloa cartel is credited with pioneering the deadliest drug threat in U.S. history, reaping billions in profits from the fentanyl trade alone, the DEA report says. It dominates the fentanyl market by its manipulation of the global supply chain.
The organization, one of the oldest of its kind, has been producing fentanyl in bulk since 2012 and capitalizes on the cheap production and maintenance costs linked to synthetic drug operations as compared to more expensive plant-based drugs like heroin and cocaine.
The DEA report says the cartel has a long history of skirting, defying and bribing its way around regulations on importing precursor chemicals needed to produce synthetic drugs. The cartel uses border tunnels in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to cross drugs into the U.S. undetected by taking advantage of pre-existing sewer and water systems built by the municipalities where the drugs are being sold.
Making matters worse, Almonte said, is the open U.S. border that allows dangerous criminal drug traffickers and gang members to cross into the country and further enable cartel operations.
How the Jalisco cartel operates
The Jalisco cartel relies on vast financial resources along with violence, the bribery of corrupt public and port officials, and a franchise-based command structure to operate, the DEA said.
The organization delivers fentanyl in pill and powder form, and although it cannot keep pace with the Sinaloa production rate, it has flooded the U.S. market by mixing its product with heroin, cocaine and xylazine, also known as “tranq.”
The cartel is the main supplier of cocaine to the U.S., primarily on the East Coast, the DEA report indicates. But the organization also deals heavily in marijuana and heroin and uses some of its billions of dollars in profits to expand its global footprint. It operates distribution hubs in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina.
It typically relies on illegal ports of entry along the U.S. southwestern border and transports its products mainly by tractor-trailers and private vehicles.
The criminal organization controls very little territory along the border, DEA officials said, but instead pays for the use of points of entry, tunnels and other smuggling channels to gain access to the U.S. market.
How the DEA is cracking down
DEA enforcement initiatives track drug distribution networks across the U.S. that are linked to the two cartels. The agency also operates three counterthreat teams to combat the drug crisis along with enforcement programs like Operation Overdrive and Operation OD Justice, which work to investigate fatal drug overdoses.
The report says that the DEA’s Operation Last Mile partnered with federal, state and local law enforcement to make 3,337 arrests and seize almost 44 million fentanyl pills and more than 6,500 pounds of fentanyl powder between May 2022 and May 2023. In addition, more than 91,000 pounds of methamphetamine was seized, along with nearly 8,500 guns and more than $100 million, the report said.
The DEA also works at a more local level to help provide more treatment and public awareness initiatives that warn about the dangers of synthetic drugs.
Almonte said officials at all levels are overwhelmed with the fentanyl crisis and that more federal funding is paramount in combating the problem. Other agencies like the National Guard, which has programs to deal with the nation’s fight against illicit drugs, could also use support.
But, Almonte said, Mexican cartels are here to stay.
“(Officials) need to keep the pressure on these Mexican cartels, stay on their heels and not let them catch their breath,” he told NewsNation. “You’re not going to eliminate the Mexican cartel activity, but the whole idea is to make them less comfortable. You want to send a message that (law enforcement) is going to make it as difficult as possible to operate in their communities. And I think that’s going to make all the difference in the world.”
