US Drug Czar: EU Cooperated on 'El Mencho' Takedown

The United States has seen significant progress in its cooperation with Mexico to combat drug cartels, according to U.S. drug czar Sara Carter. She pointed to the successful operation that resulted in the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), as a testament to this improved collaboration.

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Doing what we are doing right now in Mexico, even targeting all the government officials who have sold themselves to the cartels, who have facilitated their operations, getting their extraditions and working closely with our counterparts, like we do with President Sheinbaum, for example.

Carter, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, stated in an interview that the apprehension of El Mencho was achieved through U.S. intelligence but executed by Mexican forces, including the National Guard and Special Forces. "We told them: 'Look, here's the information. Catch him!' And they did. And we had never seen anything like that before. It wasn't like that. Not in that way. There wasn't that kind of cooperation," she remarked.

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We saw significant progress in Mexico. Especially with El Mencho… When we were able to go after El Mencho, and we did thanks to our intelligence information, but using the Mexican National Guard, the Mexican Special Forces, General (Ricardo) Trevilla [Secretary of Defense], their operation. They cooperated with us.

She further defended the U.S. government's strategy of targeting Mexican officials suspected of colluding with cartels, including those in Sinaloa allegedly protecting the Sinaloa Cartel and its factions. Carter emphasized that such actions are contingent on Mexico's willingness to cooperate, referencing former President Donald Trump's assertive stance on international partnerships. The U.S. official believes that governments in the hemisphere understand that working with the U.S. is beneficial, particularly when dealing with powerful criminal organizations.

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We told them: 'Look, here's the information. Catch him!' And they did. And we had never seen anything like that before. It wasn't like that. Not in that way. There wasn't that kind of cooperation.