The Border Blame Game: US Intervention in Mexico's Cartel War
Zoom out for a second: Mexican authorities announced the death of cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as 'El Mencho,' attributing the successful operation in part to US intelligence. The timing is notable, following months of pressure from the Trump administration on Mexico to combat drug organizations and a standing $15 million US reward for information leading to his capture.
This narrative, a neatly tied bow of bilateral success, obscures the long and often damaging history of US intervention in Mexico's internal security affairs. This current 'cooperation' echoes previous eras where US priorities dictated much of the regional law enforcement agenda. In 1985, the murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena in Mexico ignited 'Operation Leyenda,' a US-led manhunt that bypassed
Mexican sovereignty, deepening mistrust and perceptions of US overreach. The US approach has consistently emphasized a supply-side interdiction strategy, despite evidence that such tactics often fragment cartels, leading to more violence and the emergence of new, often more ruthless, factions. For instance, the US poured over $3 billion into the Merida Initiative between 2008 and 2021, a security
aid package that many critics argue exacerbated Mexico's security crisis rather than resolving it, contributing to a documented rise in homicides. This intervention is framed as assistance, yet it often acts as a projection of US domestic policy and political expediency, deflecting from the immense demand for illicit drugs within its own borders, a crucial component of the problem. Washington's