US Drug War: DEA Inflitrates Mexican Drug Cartel Behind Fentanyl Crisis

The US Drug Enforcement Administration has determined and penetrated the Mexican drug cartel, which is mostly to blame for the fentanyl crisis that kills thousands of Americans each year.

The Justice Department accused the Chapitos network, a division of the Sinaloa drug cartel, of being mostly responsible for the slaughter in a broad series of charges that targeted two dozen commanders and kingpins.

Anne Milgram, the head of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, stated that her agency actively infiltrated the Sinaloa Cartel and the Chapitos network over the past 18 months, gaining unprecedented access to the organization's highest levels and tracking them worldwide, according to NPR.

Chapitos are Behind the US Fentanyl Crisis

DEA officials claim that the Chapitos faction is responsible for the fentanyl crisis. The faction is allegedly led by the four sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, who is serving a life sentence in a Florida prison after being convicted in 2019 of multiple drug and murder conspiracy charges.

Federal authorities and specialists on drug policy claim that the Chapitos aggressively changed the priority of their business by focusing on fentanyl.

The Chapitos purportedly control a sophisticated global network of fentanyl traffickers, money launderers, and drug dealers today.

In court documents on the US drug war, the Justice Department and the DEA described secret meetings and fentanyl negotiations that took place over the previous two years involving high officials from Mexico, the United States, Austria, and other nations.

Fentanyl a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin. It is very potent, and even a small quantity may be fatal.

In Mexico and the US, Fentanyl is mixed with other substances like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. Hence, the US government has authorized the sale of naloxone, a medication that reverses overdoses, without a prescription since the number of Americans dying from it is increasing at a worrying pace, per the BBC.

Republican Politicians Want US Military To Hunt Down Mexican Drug Cartels

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has recently discussed the possibility of using "special forces" and "cyber warfare" to target cartel leaders and has reportedly asked for "battle plans" to attack Mexico amid the US drug war if he gets reelected as president, according to a report from Politico.

A proposal by Representatives Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) and Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) would authorize the use of military force to "put us at war with the cartels."

Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has suggested deploying American soldiers to Mexico to hunt down drug lords, even without Mexico's approval amid the US drug war.

Some Republican presidential candidates support the move to designate certain cartels as foreign terrorist groups and legislation to that effect has been introduced by lawmakers in both the Senate and House.