Drug Cartels and the Mexican Government Are the Same; There Is a “Deadly Connection”: DEA

ByLa Jornada Editorial Staff

This article by the La Jornada editorial staff originally appeared in the July 14, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Terry Cole, stated, without presenting evidence, that there is a “deadly connection” between the drug cartels and the Mexican government, and asserted that for the agency the fight against criminal organizations is the “number one priority,” during his speech at the first Fentanyl-Free United States Summit. “We put the full power of this agency into the fight against the cartels, against the facilitators, the distributors, the money launderers, the supply of chemical substances, and anyone who profits from poisoning American citizens. This includes the deadly connection between the cartel networks and the Mexican government. They are the same. And at the DEA, they are our number one priority,” the official stated.

During the event, U.S. officials insisted that the fight against fentanyl must combine security measures with education and demand-reduction strategies, while reiterating the DEA’s commitment to going after the production, distribution, and money-laundering networks linked to drug trafficking.

“The United States is watching and is counterattacking. We are not here simply to talk about the fentanyl crisis, we are here to demand action,” Cole added.