The cartels have been forced into expensive evasion efforts.
asserted
cartels → force → efforts
Venezuelan dictator and drugs chieftain Nicolas Maduro now lives in an American prison cell.
asserted
Maduro → live → cell
And the United States has just restored a key counter-drugs alliance with Venezuela’s neighbor, Colombia.
asserted
States → restore → neighbor
Brigitte Garcia’s death testifies to why this fight matters.
asserted
fight → testify → ?
She became mayor of a town on Ecuador’s coast by pledging simple improvements to people’s lives: clean water supplies and increased tourism.
asserted
She → become → lives
But in March 2024, Garcia and one of her staffers were shot in the back of their heads.
asserted
Garcia → shoot → heads
The murders were part of a vicious cartel campaign to terrorize and enforce the corrupt loyalty of politicians across Ecuador.
asserted
murders → terrorize → Ecuador
In August 2023, presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was similarly assassinated on cartel orders.
asserted
Villavicencio → assassinate → orders
, history underlines a hard truth.
asserted
history → underline → truth
Namely, that Latin American cartels seek to destroy democracy.
asserted
cartels → seek → democracy
The cartels thus pose a clear threat to stability and freedom in the Western Hemisphere.
asserted
cartels → pose → Hemisphere
Fortunately, the cartels have their enemies.
asserted
cartels → have → enemies
Since entering office earlier this month, Espriella has abandoned his left-wing predecessor’s appeasement of the cartels.
asserted
Espriella → enter → cartels
Instead, Espriella quickly reached an agreement to escalate cooperation with the U.S. military.
asserted
Espriella → reach → military
This deal may lead to joint U.S.-Colombian ground action against cartels.
uncertain
deal → lead → cartels
As with the 1990s hunt for kingpin Pablo Escobar, this center will allow U.S. personnel to share real-time intelligence with their Colombian counterparts, and vice versa.
asserted
personnel → allow → counterparts
It will enable more rapid and effective drug enforcement activity.
asserted
It → enable → activity
A particular focus will fall on the Gulf Cartel, which dominates cocaine supply to Mexican and other international cartels for onward smuggling and distribution.
asserted
which → fall → smuggling
But Colombia’s far-left FARC and ELN terrorist groups will also now face strikes anytime their leaders or cultivation fields are identified.
asserted
leaders → leave → strikes
Colombia’s renewed U.S. cooperation is especially valuable for two reasons.
asserted
cooperation → renew → reasons
First, it will enable more decisive action against drug production efforts and greater interdiction of smugglers at Colombian ports.
asserted
it → enable → ports
This will better address the drugs problem at its source.
asserted
This → address → source
Colombia will no longer be a relative safe haven from which the only real risk to cartels is the odd U.S. strike on a drug running boat.
asserted
risk → run → boat
Second, concerted action in Colombia can pay outsize dividends in the global fight against drugs.
asserted
action → pay → drugs
That’s because the cocaine industry flows into a far wider array of organized criminal activity around the world.
asserted
industry → ’ → world
Winning the war on drugs remains an impossible goal.
asserted
Winning → win → drugs
The vast profit incentives born of selling these products at high prices means that there will always be individuals willing to serve this trade.
asserted
incentives → bear → trade
The trade will also sadly retain a vast supply of customers.
asserted
trade → retain → customers
But the U.S. and its allies can exert increased friction on the supply and distribution elements of this perverse industry.
asserted
U.S. → exert → industry
That friction will drive up price points for those seeking to buy drugs.
asserted
friction → drive → drugs
More importantly, it will help to discourage young people, security and military personnel, and politicians from bending to the cartels’ agenda.
asserted
it → help → agenda
Over time, it will lead to more stable, prosperous democratic societies that are less vulnerable to criminal influence.
asserted
that → lead → influence
Even better, U.S.-Colombian cooperation reflects a broader regional trend.
asserted
cooperation → reflect → trend
The U.S. now has counter-drug cooperation agreements with Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago.
asserted
U.S. → have → Argentina
And while Mexico remains the central concern on drug smuggling into the U.S., President Claudia Sheinbaum increasingly recognizes that the old way of doing business won’t work with Trump.
asserted
way → remain → Trump
The old way being the Mexican government tendency to provide the U.S. with minimal cooperation and the occasional drug lord extradition scalp.
asserted
way → provide → cooperation
All while allowing the cartels and systemic corruption to largely run free.
asserted
cartels → allow → ?
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel’s extreme brutality, and clever U.S. exploitation of the Sinaloa Cartel’s civil war have also pressured Sheinbaum to step up.
asserted
brutality → pressure → Sheinbaum
More needs to be done.
asserted
More → need → ?
Trump should ensure that countries taking risks to join this fight are rewarded with greater engagement and financial aid.
asserted
countries → ensure → engagement
…and 9 more, not listed.
