Counterterrorism magazine’s website ran my latest Threatcon column.
You
can read my column via the link below link or the text below:
New War On Terrorism: Making War On Drug Cartels
By Paul Davis
There is a
new war on terrorism. The new war runs parallel to the efforts to stop
terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS.
This past
January, President Trump signed an executive order Monday stating that the United
States would designate the Mexican drug cartels and transnational criminal
organizations like Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Salvador’s Mara Salvatrucha
(MS-13) as foreign terrorist organizations.
“The Cartels
have engaged in a campaign of violence and terror throughout the Western
Hemisphere that has not only destabilized countries with significant importance
for our national interests but also flooded the United States with deadly
drugs, violent criminals, and vicious gangs,” the order read.
President
Trump has also put pressure on Mexico to crack down on the cartels and
cooperate more fully with the U.S. in bringing to justice the cartel leaders.
Thanks to
that pressure, on August 12th, the United States announced that it had taken into custody 26
fugitives from Mexico. According to the Justice Department, the 26 faced a
range of federal and state criminal charges from around the country, including
charges relating to drug-trafficking, hostage-taking, kidnapping, illegal use
of firearms, human smuggling, money laundering, the murder of a sheriffs’
deputy, and other crimes.
Among the
fugitives taken into U.S. custody were leaders and managers of dangerous drug
cartels, such as those designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and
Specially Designated Global Terrorists, including the Sinaloa Cartel, Cártel de
Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), and Cártel del Noreste (formerly Los Zetas).
These fugitives are collectively alleged to have imported into the United
States tonnage quantities of dangerous drugs, including cocaine,
methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin.
“Today
is the latest example of the Trump administration's historic efforts to
dismantle cartels and foreign terrorist organizations,” said Attorney General
Pamela Bondi. “These 26 men have all played a role in bringing violence and
drugs to American shores -- under this Department of Justice, they will face
severe consequences for their crimes against this country. We are grateful to
Mexico’s National Security team for their collaboration in this matter.”
Included
in the transfer were the following fugitives:
- Abigael Gonzalez Valencia (seen in the above photo) - also known as “Cuini”
– is one of the leaders of Los Cuinis, a major Mexican drug cartel
responsible for trafficking multiple tons of cocaine from South America,
through Mexico, into the United States.
- Kevin Gil Acosta and Martin Zazueta Perez –
According to court documents, Gil Acosta and Zazueta Perez are leaders of
the security apparatus for the Chapitos, a powerful faction
of the Sinaloa Cartel that engages in prolific fentanyl trafficking. Both
men have led sicarios armed with military-style weapons
– such as AK-47s, M-16s, AR-15s, and grenade launchers – in attacks on
Mexican government and military officials. Gil Acosta leads sicarios tasked
with protecting fentanyl labs and distribution routes while Zazueta Perez
provides personal security for a leader of the Chapitos.
- Abdul Karim Conteh, a national of Sierra Leone,
allegedly led a human smuggling organization that smuggled thousands of
migrants to the United States through Mexico. These smuggled migrants
originated from countries around the world, including Iran, Afghanistan,
Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Somalia, Cameroon, Senegal,
Mauritania, Ethiopia, Egypt, and others. The migrants paid smuggling fees,
often tens of thousands of dollars. Conteh allegedly oversaw the migrants’
unlawful entry into the United States by various surreptitious and
unlawful means, including the use of ladders and tunnels.
- Leobardo Garcia Corrales is believed to be an
important figure in the Sinaloa Cartel who has trafficked kilogram
quantities of fentanyl into the United States, sometimes in exchange for
military-grade weapons such as AK-47s, grenades, and submachine guns. He
claims to be close friends and associates with Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán
Loera, aka “El Chapo.”
- Luis Raul Castro Valenzuela, also known as
“Chacho,” a member of the Sinaloa Cartel, has been charged with kidnapping
and holding hostage a U.S. citizen.
- Juan Carlos Felix Gastelum also known as “El
Chavo Félix,” a major Sinaloa Cartel cell leader and son-in-law to former
Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, is alleged to
be a principal operator of the Sinaloa Cartel’s clandestine methamphetamine
manufacturing laboratories located in the Sierra Madre Mountains of
Sinaloa and Durango, Mexico involved in the manufacturing and distribution
of large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine from Mexico into the
United States.
- Roberto Salazar is wanted in connection with the
murder of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Juan Escalante, who was
killed in 2008 when he was leaving his home during the early morning
hours.
- Pablo Edwin Huerta Nuno, also known as
“Flaquito,” is a violent Tijuana Plaza boss who has operated with impunity
during the last 15 years. Huerta-Nuno is alleged to have supplied
thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine to distributors
and cells located throughout San Diego and Los Angeles. And in return,
millions of dollars in narcotics proceeds were delivered to him and his
organization via shipments of bulk cash from San Diego into Tijuana.
And
the new war on terrorism is not exclusive to Mexico. On September 2nd, a U.S. naval strike on a high-speed
drug cartel boat in the Caribbean killed 11 drug traffickers from Venezuela and
destroyed the drug-carrying vessel.
Secretary
Of War Pete Hegseth said in a TV interview that the mission sent a signal to
criminal gangs like the Venezuela based Tren de Aragua that the U.S. is
prepared to take them on.
“President
Trump is willing to go on the offense in ways that others have not been,” Mr.
Hegseth said. “You’re poisoning our people, we’ve got incredible assets, and
they are gathering in the region.”
Although
he would not go into detail, Hegseth said, “We knew exactly who was in the
boat. We knew exactly what they were doing, and we knew exactly who they
represented, and that was Tren de Aragua,” Hegseth said.
On
September 3rd, a Joint Statement on Security Cooperation between the
United States and Mexico was issued:
The Governments of Mexico and
the United States reaffirm our security cooperation, which is based on the
principles of reciprocity, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,
shared and differentiated responsibility, as well as mutual trust. The aim is
to work together to dismantle transnational organized crime through enhanced
cooperation between our respective national security and law enforcement
institutions, and judicial authorities. Additionally, we are working to address
the illegal movement of people across the border. This cooperation through
specific and immediate actions will strengthen the security along our shared
border, halt the trafficking of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, and stop arms
trafficking.
The two governments have
established a high-level implementation group to meet regularly and follow-up
on mutual commitments and actions taken within their own countries, including
measures to counter the cartels, strengthen border security, and eliminate
clandestine border tunnels, address illicit financial flows, enhance
collaboration to prevent fuel theft, increase inspections, investigations, and
prosecutions to stop the flow of drugs and arms.
Our close coordination has
allowed us to secure the border, reduce fentanyl trafficking, and advance
intelligence sharing, all within our respective legal frameworks. The two
governments further intend to strengthen collaboration in public health and coordinate
campaigns to prevent the abuse of illicit substances and opioids.
Both governments reaffirm
their determination to cooperate, protect our citizens, and make our
communities safer.
Paul Davis’ Threatcon column covers crime, espionage and terrorism.
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