It was only a matter of time before the CIA intervened in the Trump administration’s war on Mexican drug cartels. According to the report, the CIA is building a “fine-tuned machine” that will help disrupt one of the deadliest criminal networks in the world.
Specifically, the CIA is establishing a U.S.-based counternarcotics mission center, combining its counternarcotics and Western Hemisphere teams to enable faster and more effective cooperation, CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis (a former top adviser to Rumble) told Breitbart, adding that the mission is to become a “fine-tuned vehicle” for the Trump administration’s foreign policy. Ellis said the agency will use its 25 years of experience targeting jihadist networks to disrupt cartels’ international operations.
“The drug trafficker is a savvy and experienced adversary,” a CIA official told the conservative publication. “[We] are looking upstream to identify these networks outside our borders and dismantle them.”
“This is a whole-of-government effort,” he added, before emphasizing that the agency’s activities may remain hidden due to their sensitive nature.
In February, the Trump administration officially classified eight Latin American criminal groups as “foreign terrorist organizations,” specifically targeting Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, and El Salvador’s MS-13.
As part of the upcoming operations, the administration is considering drone strikes to target Mexican cartels, following a bold strategy to combat criminal organizations smuggling drugs across the southern U.S. border, NBC News reports.
No decision has been made on whether the attacks are approved.
“This is their country, and obviously we believe in strong partnerships,” said DEA Acting Administrator Derek Maltz. “That means at some point, it’s going to be about the safety of our children.”
Speaking to NBC News, Maltz highlighted the “historic, unprecedented” level of cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico on drug enforcement in the first months of the Trump administration. Last month, Mexico sent 10,000 troops to its northern border to check vehicles at border crossings for fentanyl.
