Tag: cartels

Mexico’s Sheinbaum Weighs Legal Action After Musk Alleges Cartel Ties

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she is considering legal action after tech billionaire Elon Musk alleged on social media that she was taking orders from drug cartels.

Speaking at a Feb. 24 news conference in Mexico City, Sheinbaum said government lawyers were reviewing the matter.

“We’re considering whether to take some legal action,” she said.

“The lawyers are looking into it, but what matters to me is what the people say, honestly.”

Musk’s allegation of Sheinbaum’s cartel subservience followed the capture and killing of Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNGC) leader Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” by Mexican security forces.

In his post on X, Musk responded to a 2025 video of Sheinbaum discussing cartel violence and saying that returning to a war against the cartels is “not an option” because it would mean extrajudicial killings that are “outside the framework of the law.” She added that military force against the cartels would also be counterproductive because it would trigger retaliatory violence that would only “increase homicides in Mexico.”

Responding to those remarks, Musk alleged that she was “saying what her cartel bosses tell her to say.”

“Let’s just say that their punishment for disobedience is a little worse than a ‘performance improvement plan,’” Musk wrote.

He did not provide evidence to support his claims.

Sheinbaum could face difficulty suing Musk for defamation in the United States because of strong legal protections for free speech. To prevail, she would need to show that Musk knowingly made a false statement or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.

Tesla, Musk’s auto company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Is the Cartel Uprising in Mexico a Pretext for a U.S. Resource Grab?

Coordinated outbreaks of cartel violence have struck parts of western Mexico, particularly in the states of Jalisco, Guanajuato, and Michoacán. According to statements from Mexico’s Secretariat of Security and citizen reports carried by national outlets, armed groups set fire to cargo trucks and private vehicles, blocked major highways linking Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta, and exchanged gunfire with federal security forces. Authorities confirmed multiple fatalities, including suspected cartel members and security personnel, while local governments urged residents in affected municipalities to remain indoors as a precaution.

Commercial flights at Puerto Vallarta International Airport experienced temporary delays amid road blockades, though federal officials said core infrastructure remained operational. Security analysts described the unrest as consistent with past cartel retaliation tactics designed to demonstrate territorial control rather than sustained combat. Reports of kidnappings, however, such as a group of tourists from Mexico City abducted in Mazatlán, underscore the human toll.

Setup for U.S. Supply Chains?

This turmoil is unfolding against a backdrop of critical mineral production. Mexico holds vast reserves of lithium, silver, and other critical minerals essential for batteries, electronics, and the Western surveillance capitalism economy — think data centers, electric vehicles, and AI infrastructure. The U.S. Geological Survey identifies Mexico as a top producer of eight critical minerals; it is the world’s largest silver producer and boasts untapped lithium deposits in Sonora. CJNG [i.e., Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación] territories overlap key mining areas, like silver-rich Guanajuato and Jalisco, where cartels extort operations and kidnap workers.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated calls to deploy U.S. military to “sweep away the cartels” may mask deeper concerns about securing supply chains and defending them from China. Echoing historical interventions, such rhetoric recalls propaganda expert Edward Bernays’ campaign in the 1950s, portraying Guatemala’s Jacobo Árbenz as a communist threat to justify a CIA-backed coup over United Fruit Company interests — creating the “banana republic” trope.

Today’s media frenzy over cartel violence, amplified by outlets framing Mexico as a narco-state, could serve as similar propaganda to rationalize invasion. Corruption plagues Mexico, with cartels infiltrating politics. President Claudia Sheinbaum, rejecting Trump’s offers, argued that aggressive tactics against narcos violate legal frameworks and human rights, and prioritized due process over confrontation. Yet, her administration faces criticism for leniency, as violence surges despite claims of restored normalcy. Amid unconfirmed evacuation rumors — amid her appeals for calm — the cartels’ real grip on Mexico could provide the U.S. with a modern “banana republic” excuse.

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Trump quietly got Mexico to hand over 100 cartel leaders — including El Mencho’s brother — before Jalisco raid

Mexico has quietly shipped nearly 100 suspected cartel drug traffickers to the US to stand trial after President Trump branded the groups foreign terrorist organizations last year — and pressured the Mexican government to cooperate.

The suspects include the brother of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes — the brutal Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader who was killed by the Mexican army on Sunday.

The Justice Department said many of the 92 defendants released to the Americans had US extradition requests that were not honored during the Biden administration.

“As President Trump has made clear, cartels are terrorist groups, and this Department of Justice is devoted to destroying cartels and transnational gangs,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said of the first round of transfers, which kicked off last February.

“We will prosecute these criminals to the fullest extent of the law in honor of the brave law enforcement agents who have dedicated their careers — and in some cases, given their lives — to protect innocent people from the scourge of violent cartels.”

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Horrific executions of El Mencho’s ‘cannibal cartel’: From hitmen who cut out and ate victim’s heart to mass beheadings and rivals ‘blasted with flame throwers’, how slain drug lord used extreme violence to spread fear

El Mencho’s ruthless cartel has long been considered one of the most brutal in Mexico, with its bloodthirsty leader using extreme torture and violence to instill fear into rivals.

Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) boss Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, 59, was killed on Sunday in a joint Mexican military and US-backed operation in Tapalpa, a town of 20,000 people in the Sierra Madre mountains. 

During his merciless rule, kingpin El Mencho displayed a savagery many deemed extreme even by narco standards. 

In one particularly gruesome act in 2020, CJNG hitmen tortured a half-naked man before standing on his head and cutting open his chest with a knife.

As the victim screamed in agony, a cartel member can be heard shouting: ‘So you can see that’s how we Jalisco people are… we’re going to exterminate you all.’ Another adds: ‘Pure Mencho’s people, we are the Jaliscos’.

The operative who brutally cut open the victim’s chest then began to pull out his organs before eating them for the camera as others around him laughed.

CJNG have also been implicated in a series of massacres, including the torture and murder of 35 people whose bodies were found dumped in the streets of Veracruz during an evening rush hour in 2011.

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U.S. Issues Shelter-in-Place Warnings for Popular Tourist Destinations in Mexico After Major Cartel Leader Is Killed

The United States Department of State has issued shelter-in-place warnings for Americans at several popular tourist destinations in Mexico.

The official alert was issued on Sunday, Feb. 22, for the Mexican state of Jalisco — which includes popular tourist spots such as Puerto Vallarta, Chapala and Guadalajara — as well as the states of Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon.

“Due to ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity, U.S. citizens in the named locations should shelter in place until further notice,” the department said.

The alert additionally advised U.S. citizens in the affected areas to “avoid areas around law enforcement activity,” “avoid crowds” and “seek shelter and minimize unnecessary movements.”

The U.S. Department of State and Mexico’s Ministry of National Defense did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The warnings come after the Mexican government initiated a military operation against the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a major drug cartel in the region, on Feb. 22, per a press release from Mexico’s Ministry of National Defense.  

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Cartels Doxx ICE Director Todd Lyons — Post Home Floorplans, Video of Wife Walking to Work in Chilling Threat Campaign

On Thursday, the Senate Homeland Security Committee heard testimony from the leaders of ICE and the U.S. Customs & Border Protection agency. Minnesota officials also gave testimony.

Todd M. Lyons is the senior official performing the duties of the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). His testimony about the threats to his family and other agents is stunning.

Mr. Lyons began his federal career with the U.S. Air Force in 1993, serving in South Korea, Southeast Asia, and Europe. His civilian law enforcement career started in Florida.

After 9/11, Mr. Lyons returned to active duty with Special Operations Command, antiterrorism & force protection. His written opening statement is here, and his impressive career bio is here.

With deep concerns about the doxxing of law enforcement, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) directed questions to Director Lyons. Mr. Lyons explains that videos of his wife walking to work have been posted online. The cartels have posted the schematics (floorplans) of his home online too. 

Senator Johnson explained that cartels use similar tactics in Central America, to intimidate Police Chiefs.

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“They Thought They Were Untouchable”: US Seizes 134 Acres In Texas Used By Mexican Cartel

More than 134 acres in Texas that was being used by a drug cartel for smuggling activities has been taken over by U.S. authorities, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a Feb. 10 post on X.

“We took the land and everything on it,” the post said.

A video shared with the post showed law enforcement officers arresting several people.

“They thought they were untouchable. They were wrong. Over 134 acres of land and property, taken from the westside Gulf Cartel, a terrorist organization operating near Rio Grande City, Texas,” according to the video.

The Gulf Cartel is a drug trafficking organization from Mexico that moves arms and migrants into the United States, and has engaged in the kidnapping and murder of American citizens. Drug cartels have been known to use U.S. lands to grow marijuana, with such activities exploiting sanctuary state policies and the sovereignty of native tribal lands.

In a message to the cartels, CBP said, “You think this is just about arrests? It’s not. We are dismantling your operations from the ground up. We’re cutting out your safe houses, your staging areas, your corridors. This is your warning.”

Over the past year, authorities have seized several cartel-linked assets.

In May, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned two high-ranking members of the Cartel del Noreste (CDN), a drug trafficking organization from Mexico. As a result, all assets and interests in assets of the designated individuals in the United States were blocked.

In March, the Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned six people and seven entities for being involved in money laundering activity to support the Mexico-based Sinaloa Cartel, resulting in blocking their assets in the United States.

“Laundered drug money is the lifeblood of the Sinaloa Cartel’s narco-terrorist enterprise, only made possible through trusted financial facilitators like those we have designated today,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at the time.

“Treasury, as part of a whole-of-government approach to addressing this pressing national security threat, will use all available tools to target anyone who assists the cartels in furthering their campaign of crime and violence.”

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has introduced the Cartel Marque and Reprisal Authorization Act to seize cartel assets, according to a Dec. 18 statement from the lawmaker’s office.

The bill would authorize President Donald Trump to commission private U.S. operators under letters of marque to take over cartel assets on land and sea. A letter of marque is a written authority granted to a person by the government to seize the goods of enemies. Such letters once used to be a common tool against piracy.

Under the bill, private operators would have the right to employ “all reasonably necessary means” to seize assets outside the United States.

“The Constitution provides for Letters of Marque and Reprisal as a tool against the enemies of the United States,” Lee said.

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La Linea: The Mexican Cartel Controlling the El Paso-Juarez Metropolitan Area

A recent cartel operation sent drones from Mexico into the United States, triggering a national security alert that temporarily shut down the airspace around El Paso, Texas, and Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

While the Department of War disabled the drones, Breitbart Texas reported, it remains unclear how large the drones were or if the cartel aircraft were moving drugs, being used for surveillance, or carrying improvised explosive devices, a tactic that has become prevalent in Mexico.

El Paso is directly north of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, a city with various criminal organizations present, which remains largely under the control of La Línea, a former faction of the Juárez Cartel that has since become the dominant criminal organization on the Mexican side of the border.

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White House Issues Update on El Paso Air Space Closure

The White House has blamed drone activity from Mexican drug cartels for the sudden closure of U.S. airspace over El Paso, Texas on Wednesday morning.

In a statement to Newsweek the White House said: “Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace. The Department of War took action to disable the drones.

“The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.”

Restrictions set earlier by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have been lifted and authorities said flights would resume as normal from Wednesday.

“The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal,” the FAA said on its X account.

Democrat Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, who represents El Paso also said on X that she understood there was “no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas.” 

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Mexico’s president says it was ‘sovereign decision’ to send cartel members to US

Mexico sent 37 cartel members to the United States at the request of the U.S. Justice Department, with President Claudia Sheinbaum saying Wednesday that it was a “sovereign decision” by her government.

Sheinbaum responded to criticism from analysts and opponents who said that the transfers on Tuesday were the result of mounting pressure from Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to take military action on cartels.

Sheinbaum said that although the transfers were made at the request of the U.S. government, the decision was taken by the National Security Council after analyzing what was “convenient for Mexico” and in terms of its “national security.”

“Mexico is put first above all else, even if they ask for whatever they have to ask for. It is a sovereign decision,” she said at her regular morning news briefing.

Sheinbaum, who has been praised for her level-headed management of relations with Trump, has been forced to walk a fine line between making concessions to the Trump administration and projecting strength both domestically and internationally.

Observers say that the Mexican government has used the transfers as a sort of pressure valve to offset demands by Trump and show authorities are cracking down on criminal groups. Tension has only mounted since the U.S. carried out a military operation in Venezuela to capture then President Nicolás Maduro to face charges in the United States in an extraordinary use of force that set leaders across Latin America on edge.

Those sent to the U.S. on Tuesday were alleged members of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known by its Spanish acronym CJNG, and the Sinaloa Cartel, which Washington has designated as terrorist organizations, and a number of other groups. It’s the third such transfer of capos over the past year. Mexico’s government said it has sent 92 people in total to the U.S. in total.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday said that the transfer was a “landmark achievement in the Trump administration’s mission to destroy the cartels.”

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