A former acting Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) director says the U.S. crackdown on drug cartels is unlike anything he has seen before, warning that the United States can no longer be on the defensive in its fight against drug trafficking.
“We have to act offensively, we have to confront these threats like never before,” Derek Maltz said Sunday on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
“I believe everything is on track, not only with Mexico but also with Colombia. Let’s not forget that Colombia produces a lot of cocaine. “
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A soldier stands guard next to a burnt vehicle after the death of drug cartel leader Nemesio Ruben Oceguera Cervantes in Coinzio, Mexico, on February 22.
(AP Newsroom)
Maltz’s comments came after Trump suggested using missiles to fight drug cartels at the Shield of the Americas summit in Doral, Florida, on Saturday. A new alliance of 13 countries has been formed to advance strategies to tackle mass illegal immigration, drug-terror gangs and cartels.
“At the heart of our agreement is a commitment to use lethal military force to destroy evil cartels and terrorist networks,” he said. “We will get rid of them once and for all.”
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“We’re going to use missiles. If you want us to use missiles, they’re very accurate … right into the living room, and that’s what’s going to happen to that drug cartel guy.”
Maltz said the Trump administration’s stepped-up efforts to combat drug cartels reflect broader changes across the Western Hemisphere, with Latin American countries increasingly willing to coordinate efforts to combat drug cartels networks.
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Last September, the Atlanta Drug Enforcement Agency seized more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine linked to the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel.
“The leadership of this administration is unprecedented,” he said.
“The cartels and our adversaries are fighting for their lives, but this administration is fighting for their lives. The message is clear to the world.”
Maltz pointed to recent enforcement actions as proof that the strategy has produced results, citing large drug seizures in multiple states.
“Just recently, law enforcement has been working hard to seize 628,000 carfentanil pills in California. That’s 100 times more potent than fentanyl,” he said.
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“[There were] Record amounts of methamphetamine seized along with fentanyl in Washington state. [In] California, 2,700 pounds of methamphetamine, and… Georgia conversion lab…
“We are now on track because we are using domestic law enforcement to eliminate these cartels,” he continued. “But now these countries are joining forces… we’ve never seen that.”
Original source of the article: Former DEA chief says he’s ‘never seen’ cartel fighting so intense as Trump considers missiles against drug traffickers
