To Fight Fentanyl Traffic, U.S. Needs More Than Law Enforcement
Cipher Brief COO Brad Christian spoke with Michael Vigil, former Chief of International Operations at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), about the arrests of Sinaloa […] More
Drugs
Can High-Profile Cartel Arrests Halt the Fentanyl Traffic?
DEEP DIVE — Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a co-founder and leader of Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa Cartel, has entered a not guilty plea to 17 drug trafficking […] More
The Real Impact of COVID on Mexico’s Drug Cartels
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, law enforcement has kept a close eye on the impact the virus might have on drug cartels. Supply […] More
Mexico’s Strategic Security Problem
Nine American women and children were killed by suspected drug cartel members in an attack in northern Mexico earlier this month, refocusing attention on the […] More
The Latest
Mexico’s Internal War: 5 Questions for Michael Vigil
Mike Vigil is the former Chief of International Operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration. He is one of the most highly decorated agents within the […] More
Targeting One of America’s Deadliest Foes: Opioids
Americans are facing one of their deadliest foes in recent history: not ISIS, but opioids, painkillers that are highly addictive and killing thousands of Americans […] More
Trump’s Deport Push Boosts MS-13
President Donald Trump invoked the deadly deeds of the violent street gang MS-13 in his State of the Union address, and again this week when […] More
Another Deadly Scourge to Fear: Opioids as Weapons of War
As the U.S. public-health system struggles to alleviate the scourge of opioid addiction that killed more than 50,000 Americans in 2016, a variation on the […] More
State of Play: The Real Story Behind Netflix’s Narcos
The brutal battle against the Cali Cartel enters a new chapter in the war on drugs, with the Season 3 premiere of the Netflix series […] More
Mexico’s Violence Spikes, Fueled by Drug Trafficking, Kidnapping, Corruption
Homicides in Mexico surged by 255 percent from 2015 to 2016, and extortion cases increased by 30 percent, according to a recent American Enterprise Institute […] More
Why Mexican Security is Crumbling – and How That Matters Here
Mexico was ranked the most-worsened country this year on the Fund for Peace’s Fragile States Index (FSI), tying with Ethiopia for the bottom spot. Although […] More
U.S., Mexican Militaries Must Keep Working Together, Sharing Intel
Mexico’s stability affects the U.S., and U.S. policy has an effect on its southern neighbor’s stability. The recent Fund for Peace Fragile States Index showed […] More
Can Central America Break the Cycle of Drugs, Corruption and Gang War?
As the Trump Administration proposes cutting aid to Central America – and as American, Central American, and Mexican leaders met in Miami last week to […] More
Little to Show for Counter-Drug Aid to Central America
Central America, particularly the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, is notorious for violence and drugs. The region acts as a transit […] More
Drugs and Violence on the United States’ Doorstep: No End in Sight
Heads of government from Central America, Mexico, and the United States convened in Miami on June 15 and 16 to discuss security in the Americas, […] More
State of Play Salon Series: Hunting the King of Cocaine
Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was one of the world’s most notorious narcotics traffickers, and Steve Murphy was one of two U.S. drug enforcement agents […] More
A Dire Situation in Mexico
Kidnappings in Mexico continue to increase, particularly in the states of Guerrero, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Morelos, Puebla, Zacatecas, and Tabasco. Although the Interior Ministry reported a […] More
Violence in Mexico Surges
Mexico’s homicide rate is surging. Government and independent sources are reporting an up to 18 percent increase for 2016, compared to last year. This comes […] More
The Future of U.S.-Mexico Security Cooperation
Earlier this month, a police truck burned on the side of the road in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, with meter high flames melting the interior and the […] More