Trump’s Decisive Actions Ignite Cartel Turmoil

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WASHINGTON D.C. – For decades, the war against Mexican drug cartels has been a slow, grinding conflict. Various U.S. administrations have taken different approaches, from covert intelligence gathering to official military collaboration with Mexico, but the results have always been mixed. However, in 2025, under President Donald Trump’s renewed focus on border security and crime reduction, the war against the cartels is escalating to levels never seen before.

From the beginning of his second term, Trump made it clear that securing the border and eliminating cartel influence were top priorities. His administration has deployed a multi-pronged strategy to tackle the cartel problem head-on, utilizing diplomatic pressure, economic leverage, intelligence operations, and military training.

One of the most significant developments has been the approval of U.S. Special Forces training Mexican security forces. This marks a dramatic shift in cooperation between the two nations, particularly after years of strained relations under Mexico’s previous government, which resisted collaboration with U.S. agencies like the DEA. While the specifics of the training remain classified, it is widely believed that U.S. Green Berets and Navy SEALs are providing direct tactical training to elite Mexican forces tasked with targeting cartel leadership.

Another critical component of Trump’s approach is the increased intelligence gathering on cartel activities. ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) & SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) flights have surged, with spy planes conducting constant aerial surveillance over cartel-controlled regions. These flights gather crucial information on cartel movements, weapon shipments, and communication networks. Additionally, the use of unmanned aerial drones has skyrocketed. Unlike in past years when drone operations were limited, the U.S. now employs them extensively to track and eliminate cartel targets. Sources within the administration suggest that Trump’s team is considering arming these drones to conduct precision strikes, similar to those used against terrorist organizations in the Middle East.

This aggressive escalation isn’t happening in a vacuum. The timing aligns with a major diplomatic agreement between the United States and Mexico, which was reached after Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente and other top officials met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. In exchange for delaying the imposition of tariffs, Trump demanded Mexico crack down on cartels, illegal immigration, and fentanyl production. Despite claims that illegal crossings and overdose rates had already declined over the past year, Trump was adamant that Mexico had not done enough. His pressure campaign worked, leading to an unprecedented shift in Mexico’s handling of cartel figures.

The biggest example of this shift was Mexico’s sudden decision to extradite Rafael Caro Quintero, one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. The former Guadalajara cartel leader, responsible for the 1985 kidnapping and murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, had walked free in 2013 after a Mexican court overturned his 40-year sentence. Since then, he returned to drug trafficking, igniting bloody conflicts in northern Mexico. His extradition is a massive win for U.S. law enforcement and a direct response to Trump’s aggressive diplomacy.

While Mexico’s government, now under President Claudia Sheinbaum, claims the extradition was a long-planned legal move, sources indicate that the decision was heavily influenced by U.S. demands. Trump had made it clear that failure to comply would result in punishing trade tariffs, a threat that Mexico could not afford to ignore. The acting head of the DEA, Derek Maltz, reportedly provided the White House with a list of nearly 30 cartel leaders that the U.S. wanted extradited, with Caro Quintero at the top.

For the DEA, this was deeply personal. Caro Quintero’s brutal murder of Camarena was a turning point in the U.S.-Mexico drug war, and his return to U.S. custody provides long-overdue justice. However, beyond symbolic victories, this event signals a much larger change in how cartel leaders will be dealt with moving forward.

Mexico also handed over Miguel Treviño Morales and Omar Treviño Morales, former leaders of the notorious Los Zetas cartel. While their power had diminished in recent years, they still wielded influence from within Mexican prisons. Their removal represents a major concession from Mexico to the U.S., but it also disrupts the long-standing arrangement where cartel leaders served “soft” sentences in Mexican prisons while continuing to run their criminal empires from behind bars.

This aggressive new approach is already having ripple effects. Mexican security analyst David Saucedo noted that U.S. demands for increased drug seizures, high-profile arrests, and extraditions have pushed Mexico into a more confrontational stance against cartels. With some of the most powerful cartel figures now in U.S. custody, the cartels are expected to respond with violent retaliation.

For years, there has been an unwritten understanding between the Mexican government and the cartels—certain leaders could operate as long as they didn’t create excessive violence. That balance has now been upended. With top cartel bosses being handed over to the U.S., there is a high likelihood of internal power struggles within the cartels, leading to escalated violence not only against rival cartels but also against the Mexican state. (CONTINUED BELOW)

What comes next is uncertain, but the trajectory is clear. Trump’s hardline stance has pushed Mexico into a position where it must take decisive action against the cartels, whether it wants to or not. The increased presence of U.S. intelligence assets, the possibility of drone strikes, and the crackdown on cartel leaders suggest that this is only the beginning of a much larger conflict.

There is also speculation that Trump may push for even deeper U.S. military involvement in Mexico, especially if cartel violence spills over into American border states. He has already designated several cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, a move that could pave the way for direct military action in the future.

For the moment, the U.S. has secured major wins in the fight against the cartels. The extradition of Caro Quintero and other high-profile figures, the increased military collaboration, and the ramped-up intelligence operations all point to a dramatic shift in strategy. However, history has shown that when pressure is applied to the cartels, they adapt. Whether Mexico can handle the inevitable backlash remains to be seen, but one thing is certain—Trump’s war on the cartels is only getting started.