U.S. officials have ordered the deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of President Donald Trump’s expanded effort to dismantle drug cartels operating in the Caribbean.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury is intensifying efforts to crack down on global cartel financing, revealing that Chinese money laundering networks are working directly with Mexican drug cartels to move billions of dollars. The findings highlight a growing alliance between two of America’s most dangerous adversaries—China and the cartels fueling the fentanyl epidemic.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has arrested 171 individuals in New England with ties to the violent Sinaloa Cartel during a recent nationwide crackdown, seizing over 500 pounds of drugs and more than $1.3 million in cartel-connected cash. Officials say the operation dealt a significant blow to one of the most dangerous criminal networks operating on U.S. soil.
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.