Nation’s Sheriffs Call for the Eradication of Drug Cartels, Starting with the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels

The American Sheriff Alliance met in Washington, DC, last week to discuss the continued rise in overdose deaths and violence plaguing their jurisdictions in all areas of the country. These troubling patterns can all be traced to two main drivers of illicit narcotics into the United States – the Mexican Sinaloa and the Jalisco New Generation Cartels, both Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) which are headquartered south of the United States border with Mexico.

On September 11, 2001, terrorists killed 2,977 innocent people and our nation was outraged. America’s response included declaring a war on terrorism and bringing justice to the victims of this unthinkable tragedy by holding terrorists and terrorist countries accountable.

Last year, on December 14, 2022, the White House issued a statement regarding the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) release of provisional drug overdose death data for the 12-month period ending in August 2022. Over 107,000 overdose deaths were recorded in this one-year period, with most attributed to illicit synthetic drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine, often in combination with other drugs, including cocaine and heroin. Despite the incredible number of deaths, which can be directly attributed to the trafficking of illegal narcotics into the United States by the Mexican Cartels there has been little call to action or change in foreign policy to address this alarming issue. This crisis has caused 35 more times the amount of death to American citizens in a one-year period than was inflicted upon the U.S. on September 11th by Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden. 

The Mexican drug cartels, as well-documented in the successful prosecution of Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, also known as El Chapo, operate sophisticated crime operations fueled by fear, terror, intimidation, extortion, and murder. These criminal organizations are directly responsible for the increases in deaths, human trafficking, sex trafficking, and unprecedented violence occurring in cities and counties across our nation. These cartels and their operatives are operating with disastrous  effects not just on our southern border, but their influence can also be felt across our northern border and maritime borders as they seek to exploit all avenues to deliver lethal narcotics and violent criminals into our communities.