“We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water, and we are gonna start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels,” Trump told Fox News. Mexico might seem a logical target for what Trump has framed as a war on drugs. The Mexican military and police, backed by US intelligence and equipment, arrested or killed dozens of leading cartel figures. That was evident in the 2024 national elections, when crime groups openly sought to install their own mayors in different regions. Crime groups are embedded in many local police forces and have assumed a growing role in the economy.

Source: CNN January 10, 2026 11:04 UTC