US surveillance flights cut across the sky that prove the Fentanil plants in Mexico. American soldiers barbed wire -wire along the southern border. The State Department just appointed six Mexican cards as foreign terrorist organizations (FTO). Donald Trump’s promised war for Mexico cartels is growing.
Meanwhile, on the south side of the border, the cartels are continuing to fight among themselves, and appear to be either in denial or underestimate what the signals of US forces signal, according to the cartel and researchers.
“We have not really seen any reaction,” says Stefano Ritondal, a former army intelligence officer who uses the treatment of all source news on X. “I think the overall understanding I am getting is that there is this feeling of fraud almost within the cards. A lot of order and some of the leadership believe that the Mexican government will protect them. Or that any US military operation that happens Inside Mexico can be bilateral, not biased.
stone In November he reported that Trump’s entrance administration was considering a “soft occupation” of Mexico, in which US special operations would be secretly sent to kill the leaders of the cartel. Possible table plans include everything, from drone attacks and commando raids; air attacks on card infrastructure or drug laboratories; sending military coaches and “councilors”; and by waging cyber struggle against drug masters and their networks.
One main step is to place cards on the State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations. Last week, six cards – Carteli Sinaloa, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Northeast Cartel, Michoacán family, United Cartels and Bay Cartel – terrorist organizations were declared. Salvadoran MS-13 and Venezuelane Tren De Aragua gangs were also on the list. This determination causes US sanctions, including property freezing, restrictions on financial transactions and banning for citizens and organizations that provide support.
“I don’t think they understand the severity of the situation and how a invite determination can really harm them or from their business networks and trafficking in weapons,” says Ritondale, who also works as the main official of artoria intelligence, intelligence and private data and data Analysis company. “Now each of those Americans, when caught, if proven to help a cartel, can be accused of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.”
Prior to the Foto announcement, the US military and the CIA were already increasing Mexican drug surveillance flights. Some of the CIA’s drone flights over Mexico were targeting Fentanyl laboratories, according to a New York Times Report.
Started under Biden’s administration, flights have successfully identified laboratories by detecting chemicals that release from Fentanil production. Intelligence is then shared with Mexican officials, according to the news report.
Drone flights are part of the constant hit of surveillance flights that are likely to eavesdrop and decipher mobile phone signals near the southern border. Defense officials told him time The northern army command has carried out about two dozen flights using a variety of aircraft, ranging from the U-2 spy planes of the Cold War era to the drones.
While supervision flights are the most open evidence of this new Pentagon mandate, the northern command has also drafted possible operations for months, according to the sources of the Department of Defense. Target -focused working groups have taken over the sensitive sharing information facilities – secure areas where the US government can store, process and discuss classified information – at the base of Luke’s Air Force in Arizona.
A source from the special operations community confirmed the joint command of special operations based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is also lobbying policymakers to include them in any operations. A source familiar with ongoing planning said this is a nearly adult advantage for the administration. But a defense officer expressed great concern about the potential for things to be spoken out of control while operations escalate.
A green operator turned to the CIA told the CIA -s stone In January that past administrations considered the use of the CIA land branch – hybrid intelligence and commands usually composed of former special operations soldiers – to combat cartels, but the fear of punishing the cartel against operators and their families in Sh. Ba made it very dangerous.
Shows a northern command official stone It had no “no information” for the planning of operations. “The current mission for the northern US command is to aggressively strengthen security at the southern border in support of [the Department of Homeland Security]”Says the official. “Immediately after January 20, US soldiers and marines immediately settled to integrate smoothly with title 10 already along the border and are working together with the Department of Internal Security and Customs and Border Protection.”
About 500 soldiers from 10Th The Mountain Division headquarters reached Fort Huachuca, Arizona, earlyAND Fort Bragg Air Division is waiting for orders to be placed at the border. A spokesman of the Defense Department told New York Times Active task bodies were monitoring border supervision equipment. The 7th Group of the Special Forces has begun to train the Mexican Navy Infanttería de Marina, according to news reports.
In a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, General Gregory Guillot told the Committee that the number of active task forces now at the southern border with Mexico had increased to 5,000 and said he expected the number to continue to increase.
Meanwhile, rep. Tim burchett (r-ttenn) thinks private citizens can help in war. He presented the act of authorization of Marque and the authorization of the 2025 cartel, which allows private citizens to act against US enemies on behalf of the government.
The legislation would authorize Trump to commission individuals or private armed groups to apprehend persons and property of members or organizations of the cartel based on the US Constitution’s provision for marking letters and revenge. The United States has not issued a letter of marquee since the beginning of the 19th century when James Madison gave 500 of these letters to the captains of the British trading during the 1812 war.
Burchett’s office did not answer questions about the origin of the legislation, how Marque letters adapt to a broader strategy, or what guidelines and support – such as medical evacuation – would be given to these groups if they act as government agents. It was also unclear whether the groups operating under these letters could keep the spoils of their operations as private in the 1800s.
Despite building America’s troops and talks about mobilizing vigilants to operate on behalf of the government, Mexican cartels seem to be more focused on combating rivals or developing civil wars.
Ioan Grillo and Katarina Szulc by Crashout Media asked Cartel members – both leaders and road level leaders – for reaction in the wake of the Fot notification. The answers went from traction protection, including the flow of the flow of migrants and Fentanil.
“We are not going [to] Be them to start a war, ”told a head of the Crashout media area.“ You can’t beat [U.S] The government I guarantee that there will be no war where they want to conquer here. “
Ritondale says that despite the new CTO designation, messaging boards used by card members remain focused on internal matters.
“I think many of the cartels think their biggest threat is rival cartels, not necessarily the United States,” Ritondale says. “And honestly, I will not necessarily disagree with them because who are boys who can remove the beaches,” he says, referring to what are the central points for trafficking routes. “Rivals rivals, not necessarily the US government. I don’t think someone is suggesting that Airborne 82 will go to the plane in a square. “
A ceasefire between the two breast cartel factions that have fought for at least three years less concerned the American Saber-Training and was more about internal and political pressure, says Ritondale. One of the groups lost a key square near Tamaulipas along the northeast part of the American-Mexico border and decided to focus their attention on rivals in the west, instead of fighting a two-front war.
Meanwhile, rival factions – Los Chapitos and La Mayiza – are fighting in Culiacán, a city in the western state of Sinaloa, after Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a long leader of Sinaloa Cartel, Mexico, was arrested in July. The Civil War of Sinaloa Cartel began on September 9 when the gunmen attacked the home of a chapter leader. Last week, Mexican security forces aimed at Chapitos, leading to the arrest of two members of the group’s internal district. Kevin Alonso Gil Acosta, known as El 200, oversee the security and purchase of weapons for Los Chapitos. José ángel Cannobio Inzunza handled cartel finances and Fentanil’s operations.
“Crazy is crazy,” says Ritondals. “Chapitos are plunging.”
Some card observers see the latest moves against Los Chapitos as a push to end the civil war or to calm Trump. But Mica Treviño, who runs Cartelinsider.com, a website dedicated to card research, shakes meaning.
“If it were to end the war, they wouldn’t hit one side,” Treviño says. “And if it had to do with a Trump optical action, they would need a much larger name than Canobbio.”
Treviño, who has researched cartels for two decades, was invited to meet with members of the Sinaloa cartel earlier this month. He flew from his home in Texas to Culiacán, where he spent a week with armed cards and leaders in an undisputed place. After spending one night at a hotel, Cartel caught Treviño and took her around the city for several hours before taking her to a deserted airport, where she flew to meet the leaders. Surrounded by men with machine guns and masks, he enjoyed Tacos and beer and even made a photo with some of the cartel members near a 4 × 4 armor. During the trip, he took a chance to chat with members of Cartel from lower level to leadership. The conversation focused on the civil war.
“They are more concerned about the fight they are now fighting against their competitors,” Treviño said. “This is more of a threat to them.”
When Treviño raised Trump, the members of the cartel did not react. Treviño said the cartel receives news from Mexican exits and adopted the same attitude as their compatriots.
“The country does not take it seriously and are no different,” Trevino said. “They think everything is just huff and puff for TV.”
Trump is very huff and powder, until it is. America is learning that lesson on the difficult road.