As the Trump administration pressures Mexico to crack down on drug cartels or face severe trade tariffs, a major scandal has erupted linking high-ranking political figures to one of Mexico’s most violent criminal organizations. Interpol has issued a Red Notice for Hernán “Comandante H” Bermúdez Requena, the former Public Security Secretary for the state of Tabasco, who is now accused of leading "La Barredora," an armed wing of the Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG)—a group recently labeled by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization.
President Trump has escalated pressure on Mexican drug cartels by designating them as foreign terrorist organizations, laying the groundwork for potential U.S. military action. This designation has enabled surveillance flights over Mexico and the deployment of Navy warships off its coast. Intelligence and military coordination is increasing as the Trump administration explores targeted strikes to dismantle cartel operations responsible for the fentanyl crisis.
ICE agents arrested 243 illegal aliens across the Denver metro area during a nine-day operation targeting violent criminals and known gang affiliates. The sweep, which ended July 20, netted suspects linked to the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, the Los Zetas cartel, and other transnational criminal organizations. Some of those arrested have serious criminal records, including charges for murder, child sex assault, drug trafficking, and human trafficking.
Federal agencies in Houston have launched a Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) aimed at dismantling transnational criminal organizations operating in Southeast Texas. The move follows the arrest of 1,361 criminal aliens in June, including gang members, murderers, child predators, and a convicted airplane hijacker.
A brutal cartel massacre has rocked the border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, after five members of the regional band Fugitivo were abducted, murdered, and burned by cartel gunmen. The musicians, who were scheduled to perform at a private party Sunday morning, were never seen again. Their remains were later found in Reynosa, a city controlled by a faction of the Gulf Cartel—an organization designated by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist group.
Federal agents have arrested several members of a Houston-based drug trafficking ring accused of using taco trucks to store and distribute drugs. According to the Department of Justice, the group—connected to Mexican cartels—moved large quantities of heroin, meth, cocaine, mushrooms, pills, and marijuana from South Texas into Houston for distribution.
CNN is facing sharp backlash after airing an interview with a member of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, during which the cartel figure responded to President Donald Trump’s designation of drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. The masked cartel member offered “respect” for Trump and blamed the U.S. drug market for fueling cartel activity.
President Donald Trump has intensified efforts to involve the U.S. military directly in combating Mexican drug cartels, proposing a leading role for American forces in operations within Mexico.
