Overview
- A senior Sinaloa Cartel member, interviewed on camera by CNN while concealing his identity, said U.S. measures have made his work more difficult.
- Deputies cited by CNN reported that the price to smuggle migrants rose from roughly $6,500 earlier this year to nearly $10,000, pushing many into debt to criminal networks.
- U.S. actions this year include designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and authorizing the military to target them, with strikes on drug‑trafficking vessels reported.
- Officials said 1,300 barrels of methamphetamine precursors shipped from Shanghai and bound for the Sinaloa Cartel were seized in early September.
- The Pentagon is reported to be considering additional kinetic options, including potential drone strikes against traffickers inside Venezuela.