DEA Chief Endorses Joint US-Mexico Offensive Against CJNG
- DEA director Terry Cole confirmed the US is exchanging intelligence and supporting operations in Mexico against the CJNG and Sinaloa Cartel.
- Cole accused Mexican local officials of maintaining corrupt ties with the CJNG, describing it as one of the continent's most powerful criminal organisations.
- The full scope of joint US-Mexico operations and any specific targets were not publicly disclosed.
The director of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Terry Cole, has publicly endorsed a joint offensive between Washington and Mexico City targeting the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), while levelling sharp criticism at what he described as deep-rooted institutional corruption linking Mexican local officials to the cartel.
Intelligence-sharing and operational support
Cole confirmed that the two countries are exchanging information on targets and members of organisations designated as terrorist groups, including both the CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel. Going further, he stated that the United States is actively supporting operations on Mexican soil. "We are exchanging information [with Mexico] not only about targets and members of terrorist organisations, like the Sinaloa Cartel and the CJNG, but we are also supporting operations in Mexico," Cole said.
CJNG's reach and the corruption problem
Cole singled out the CJNG as one of the most powerful criminal organisations on the continent, describing it as responsible for drug manufacturing and trafficking as well as other illicit enterprises, including fuel theft. His remarks on official corruption underscored a long-standing concern within US law enforcement that cartel influence at the local government level has hampered previous counter-narcotics efforts. The precise scope of the current joint operations and the identities of any specific targets were not disclosed.
The statements arrive at a fraught moment for the CJNG, which has been navigating internal pressures following the death of its founding leader, and as Mexican security forces have mounted a series of operations against its regional commanders. Whether the renewed bilateral commitment will translate into measurable disruption of the cartel's operations remains unconfirmed.
More in Crime & Justice
→
Crime & Justice
Eleven Cases Cloud Spain's Autumn
Crime & Justice
Copacabana Lynching Shocks Brazil
Crime & Justice
Lockerbie Trial Postponed Again
Crime & Justice
Third Leipzig Drone Carried Hexogen
Crime & Justice
Family Stranded 26 Days in Ceuta Estate
Crime & Justice
Post Offices Used to Launder Dirty Cash