Mexico’s “most powerful and ruthless” cartels now operate in all 50 states and are clashing in American cities, according to a May report by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The report highlights the significant presence of the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels, which have inundated major U.S. cities with methamphetamine and fentanyl while using violence to protect their territories.
“The deadly reach of the Mexican Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels into U.S. communities is extended by the wholesale-level traffickers and street dealers bringing the cartels’ drugs to market, sometimes creating their own deadly drug mixtures,” the DEA report states. “Together, the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels have caused the worst drug crisis in U.S. history.”
The DEA’s National Drug Threat Assessment provides an in-depth look at the cartels’ leadership structures, operational areas, and their global influence beyond Mexico and the U.S. The report underscores how synthetic drugs like fentanyl, which are more potent, cheaper to produce, and easier to smuggle than plant-based drugs, enable these cartels to control all aspects of the drug trade from production to distribution.
According to the DEA, the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels have “effectively eliminated any competition in U.S. markets” and now “dictate the flow of nearly all illicit drugs” into the country. Thousands of cartel-linked dealers currently operate across the U.S., contributing to the ongoing drug crisis.
The DEA report highlights the staggering toll of fentanyl, with nearly 38,000 fentanyl-related deaths recorded in the first six months of 2023. The report identifies fentanyl as “the deadliest threat the U.S. has ever faced,” attributing nearly all fatal drug overdoses and poisonings in the country to synthetic drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Law enforcement agencies within 150 miles of the border conducted nearly 600 bulk cash seizures in 2023, valued at $18 million. Most of these seizures occurred in Arizona, California, Texas, and New Mexico.
Moving forward, the DEA aims to target the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartel members through “Operation Overdrive.” The operation focuses on the most violence- and overdose-plagued cities in the U.S., aiming to combat the dealers responsible for the fentanyl epidemic.
The DEA continues to prioritize dismantling these cartels, recognizing the profound impact of their operations on public health and safety in the United States.
