Eleven people are dead after a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/cartels">cartel</a>-involved prison riot led to violence and unrest in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mexico">Mexican</a> city just south of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/southern-border">U.S. border</a>.
The violence started in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, when two cartels started a prison riot. The riot <a href="https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2022/08/12/u-s-consulate-warns-citizens-to-avoid-tijuana-as-fires-roadblocks-reported-throughout-baja/">appeared</a> to then spark shootings and riots throughout the area, and hundreds of Mexican troops were sent in to quell the violence, according to officials.
The unrest spread to other cities, including Tijuana, and nearly 20 fires were reported throughout Baja California. 
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mexico-border-violence-juarez-deaths-el-chapo-sinaloa-cartel/">said</a> that “innocent civilians were attacked as a kind of retaliation,” following the violence. 
The U.S. Consulate in Tijuana <a href="https://twitter.com/ConsuladoUSATJ/status/1558305282110984193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1558305282110984193%7Ctwgr%5E589bb8661d06add35934035b64ef933a55a44d49%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-25510556132772458105.ampproject.net%2F2207281718002%2Fframe.html">told</a> Americans in the area on Friday to shelter in place. 
“The U.S. Consulate General Tijuana is aware of reports of multiple vehicle fires, roadblocks, and heavy police activity in Tijuana, Mexicali, Rosarito, Ensenada, and Tecate. U.S. government employees have been instructed to shelter in place until further notice,” the entity announced. 
The two cartels that had started the violence were the Los Mexicles and Sinaloa Cartel, linked to the infamous drug-lord “El Chapo” Guzman. Over twenty people were injured and 2 killed during the fights inside the prison. 
Gang members not in the prison then caused havoc in the city, burning down businesses and shooting innocent civilians, according to police. Police say that at least nine people not involved with the gangs were killed during the violence. 
&#8220;Hopefully it&#8217;s not something that will be repeated, because they attacked the civilian population, innocent people,” Obrador <a href="https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/local/juarez/2022/08/12/juarez-mexico-violence-prison-riot-massacre-sparks-rash-of-homicides/65401197007/">told</a> the press on Friday. &#8220;It wasn&#8217;t just a fight between two groups; they began shooting civilians, and this is the most unfortunate part.&#8221;
Juarez’s Mayor Cruz Perez Cuellar called the attacks cowardly and said that police were working to establish “order” in the city. 
Several gang members have been arrested in connection with the violence. By Friday afternoon, authorities said that peace had been restored to the city. 
Violence in Juarez is not unusual, as drug cartels have long used the area as a staging area for sending drugs into the U.S. According to the El Paso Times, 10,000 people were killed in the area from 2008-2012. Just in the past week, a severed head was<a href="https://nypost.com/2022/08/12/rival-cartels-clash-in-mexican-border-city-of-juarez-killing-11/"> found</a> in an ice chest and police are still investigating the murder.

MEXICO-CRIME-VIOLENCE

‘Retaliation’: Eleven Dead After Violence Rocks Border Town Following Cartel Prison Riot

Eleven Dead After Violence Rocks Border Town Following Cartel Prison Riot

Border

Cartels

Mexico

Texas

A new synthetic opioid that is much stronger than fentanyl and morphine has been discovered in Colorado.
The Mesa County Sheriff&#8217;s Office issued a <a href="https://crimewatch.net/us/co/mesa/sheriff/134177/post/alert-new-synthetic-opioid-found-colorado">public alert</a> Thursday warning residents that the drug had been discovered in the state. According to local news outlet KKCO, the drug, N-pyrrolidino Etonitazene, also known by the street name PYRO, is 1,000-1,500 times more powerful than morphine. By comparison, fentanyl is only about 100 times more powerful than morphine, meaning PYRO is 10-15 times stronger than fentanyl.
&#8220;A new synthetic opioid has been found in Colorado,&#8221; the Sheriff&#8217;s Office said in the alert. &#8220;The small light blue pills with dark blue flakes are marked with an &#8216;M&#8217; on one side and &#8217;30&#8217; on the other. This opioid is known as PYRO. Laboratories have determined the pills are more potent than fentanyl. Please use caution if you encounter this opioid and notify law enforcement immediately.&#8221;
Small quantities of the drug had previously been discovered in Denver. A spokesman for the Denver Police Department confirmed to <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/synthetic-opioid-pyro-fentanyl-colorado-1727307">Newsweek</a> that it had been found. &#8220;Our narcotics investigators tell us anecdotally that minimal amounts of this synthetic opioid have been found in Denver thus far, however one recovery was related to an overdose death that is under investigation, so it&#8217;s certainly a concern for us,&#8221; the spokesman said.
The Mesa County Sheriff&#8217;s Office warned that the drug would spread to nearby cities like Grand Junction, and out further. “Within a month, it will make its way down the I-70 corridor,” Mesa County Sheriff&#8217;s Lt. Henry Stoffel told <a href="https://www.nbc11news.com/2022/07/21/new-synthetic-opioid-more-potent-dangerous-than-fentanyl-now-colorado/">KKCO</a>.
According to a public alert from the <a href="https://www.cfsre.org/test/public-alerts/new-high-potency-synthetic-opioid-n-pyrrolidino-etonitazene-etonitazepyne-linked-to-overdoses-across-united-states">Center for Forensic Science Research &amp; Education</a>, PYRO has a chemical structure similar to another controlled substance called etonitazene, but different from other synthetic opioids like fentanyl. But unlike other similar drugs that first appeared in scientific literature in the 1950s, PYRO does not appear in any scientific literature or patents. The drug was first discovered by CFSRE&#8217;s NPS (Novel Psychoactive Substances) Discovery program in May 2021 after it was initially discovered in a toxicology report. The alert also confirmed that the drug is much stronger than fentanyl — according to recent pharmacological data, PYRO exhibits a similar potency level to etonitazene, which is about 20 times stronger than fentanyl.
The alert showed that PYRO was found in blood samples of eight postmortem toxicology reports in five states: Colorado, Florida, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York. An April report from CFSRE, cited by Newsweek, said that PYRO was detected in 21 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. and Canada, including 17 deaths in nine states: Kentucky, West Virginia, Colorado, New Jersey, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Minnesota. But those deaths appeared to have the drug in low concentrations.
Dr. Judith Yates, a Birmingham, U.K.-based physician who analyses drug-related deaths, told KKCO that the drug is likely coming from China via the dark web. She told the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-61719172">BBC</a> in June that the drug was likely a replacement for fentanyl.
“There is no way to tell what&#8217;s in a tablet that you&#8217;re getting either online or on the street,&#8221; Yates told the BBC at the time. Three men in Birmingham died from drug overdoses between October 2021 and January 2022 after taking PYRO. &#8220;These three cases have come out of the blue, we&#8217;ve never seen this chemical before in Birmingham,&#8221; Yates said.

D5174FFD-A6A3-4AA3-A71D-88A651FD2E96_1_201_a

New Synthetic Opioid That Is 10-15x Stronger Than Fentanyl Discovered In Colorado

Colorado

Drugs

Fentanyl

Opioid Crisis

Former Attorney General <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/william-barr">William Barr</a> implied Friday that the United States should take care of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/cartels">drug cartels</a> south of the border with the same ferocity used to all but wipe the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/isis">Islamic State</a> off the face of the earth.
Appearing on Newsmax, Barr told Greta Van Susteren that the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration">Biden administration&#8217;s</a> strategy against the illicit international criminal organizations is not working.
&#8220;They are effectively terrorist organizations,&#8221; Barr <a href="https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/newsmaxtv-billbarr-mexicancartels/2022/07/22/id/1080025/">told</a> the host of &#8220;The Record With Greta Van Susteren,&#8221; referring to drug cartels. &#8220;They are increasingly building their connections with terrorists. Their paramilitary can take on the Mexican military, and they have so much money they can corrupt any system.&#8221;
Barr added, &#8220;The United States [has been] relegated to working through Mexico to try to deal with the cartels, and I think that&#8217;s a losing proposition.&#8221;
The former attorney general declared that these nefarious actors should be treated &#8220;more like ISIS and less like the mafia.&#8221;
Under his old boss, former President Donald Trump, the U.S. military <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/donald-trump?source=%2Fheres-how-much-ground-isis-has-lost-since-trump-took-over%2Farticle%2F2644137">liberated</a> millions of people from ISIS while dwindling their control of land in the Middle East. Military leaders <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/donald-trump?source=%2Fheres-how-much-ground-isis-has-lost-since-trump-took-over%2Farticle%2F2644137">credited</a> Trump&#8217;s aggressive but non-micromanaging approach to that success at the time.
“We don&#8217;t get second-guessed a lot. Our judgment here on the battlefield in the forward areas is trusted. And we don&#8217;t get 20 questions with every action that happens on the battlefield and every action that we take,” Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend said in 2017, The Washington Examiner <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/donald-trump?source=%2Fheres-how-much-ground-isis-has-lost-since-trump-took-over%2Farticle%2F2644137">reported</a>.
“Commanders now &#8230; aren&#8217;t constantly calling back to higher headquarters asking for permission,” he <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/donald-trump?source=%2Fheres-how-much-ground-isis-has-lost-since-trump-took-over%2Farticle%2F2644137">explained</a>. “They&#8217;re free to act.”
Brett McGurk, a White House special envoy under both President Barack Obama and Trump, credited that change in tactic for Trump&#8217;s success against ISIS.
“These delegations of tactical authorities from the president has really made a difference on the ground,” McGurk <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/donald-trump?source=%2Fheres-how-much-ground-isis-has-lost-since-trump-took-over%2Farticle%2F2644137">said</a> in 2017. “I&#8217;ve seen that with my own eyes.”
Currently, the Biden administration has &#8220;essentially abandoned the border&#8221; to the cartels, according to Barr. Barr also said these cartels are bringing in &#8220;poison&#8221; responsible for more than 100,000 American deaths per year. Last fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/nchs_press_releases/2021/20211117.htm">announced</a> that fentanyl was a leading cause of death in the opioid crisis in 2020. The federal government has <a href="https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/DEA_GOV_DIR-008-20%20Fentanyl%20Flow%20in%20the%20United%20States_0.pdf">reported</a> that the &#8220;Sinaloa and the New Generation Jalisco (Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación or CJNG) cartels are likely the primary trafficking groups responsible for smuggling fentanyl&#8221; into the U.S. from Mexico.
Recently, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador met with Biden at the White House in what was largely <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/infamous-cartel-boss-with-20m-bounty-nabbed-in-mexico">considered</a> to be an effort to repair relations after López Obrador snubbed the U.S.-led Summit of the Americas in June. The meeting focused on the worsening immigration crisis at the U.S. southern border.

William Barr

Bill Barr: We Need To Treat Mexican Drug Cartels ‘Like ISIS’

Bill Barr: We Need To Treat Mexican Drug Cartels 'Like ISIS'

ISIS

Fox News hosts <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/you-can-fight-and-die-for-your-country-at-18-jesse-watters-claps-back-when-geraldo-floats-juvenile-weapons-ban/">Jesse Watters</a> and <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/you-insulting-punk-geraldo-blows-up-at-greg-gutfeld-over-coat-hanger-abortions/">Greg Gutfeld</a> argued over the consequences of drug legalization during Thursday afternoon&#8217;s broadcast of their panel show &#8220;The Five.&#8221;
Watters brought up the disastrous results of <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/canadian-province-decriminalizes-opioids-other-drugs-despite-overdose-deaths-nearly-doubling/">drug decriminalization</a> in Oregon and claimed that the libertarian approach often touted by Gutfeld, who has long been a proponent of decriminalization and even legalization, had clearly failed.
WATCH:
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&quot;A perfect example of libertarianism gone wrong,&quot; Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld spar over decriminalizing drugs. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheFive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheFive</a> <a href="https://t.co/v7BvTl7Mjz">pic.twitter.com/v7BvTl7Mjz</a>
&mdash; Virginia Kruta (@VAKruta) <a href="https://twitter.com/VAKruta/status/1537582130330537984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
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According to reports, Oregon saw a 41% increase in fatal drug overdoses between 2020 and 2021, after decriminalizing small amounts of nearly all drugs — despite the fact that the state also increased access to drug treatment and counseling programs.
Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/portland-drug-decriminalization-effort-tragedy">reported</a> that the new law, passed in 2020, reduced possession of small amounts of certain drugs — heroin, meth, cocaine and fentanyl — to a Class E violation. That would carry a possible fine of up to $100, which would be dismissed if the person receiving the fine calls Lines for Life and seeks a health evaluation.
&#8220;This is what happens when drugs are illegal,&#8221; <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/permission-to-go-off-greg-gutfeld-drops-the-hammer-on-biden-says-hes-lost-the-sense-of-what-america-is/">Gutfeld</a> said, arguing that the problem was the fact that even when small amounts of the drugs were decriminalized, the street drugs were still often full of toxic additives or mixed with other drugs.
&#8220;All of these poisonings are street concoctions. We always just say, &#8216;Oh, it’s opiates.&#8217; But it’s actually a toxic poison, it’s street fentanyl. This is not prescription stuff,&#8221; Gutfeld said, going on to argue that loosening restrictions on prescription drugs could lead to addicts using safer products.
&#8220;We&#8217;re doing just the same thing with ghost guns and law-abiding gun. Were punishing the law-abiding user because there are people using illegally. It’s the same thing with guns that we&#8217;re doing a drugs. Lower the restrictions, make it OTC,&#8221; Gutfeld argued.
&#8220;I am not buying this libertarian mumbo-jumbo,&#8221; Watters pushed back.
&#8220;What? It’s called facts,&#8221; Gutfeld objected.
&#8220;This is a perfect example of libertarianism gone wrong. Greg has been singing the song ever since I came on &#8216;The Five.&#8217; &#8216;Legalize drugs, legalize drugs, decriminalize it.'&#8221; Watters continued. &#8220;They did it. Oregon listened to Gutfeld. Now, look at Oregon. Everyone’s dead. That’s what happens when you listen to Greg. You die.&#8221;
&#8220;What I’m saying is, if somebody’s actually using a safe drug, this doesn’t happen,&#8221; Gutfeld protested.
&#8220;Is heroin a safe drug?&#8221; co-host Jeanine Pirro asked.
&#8220;People actually take heroin, yes. Do you know that fentanyl is actually a drug that is prescribed? Are you aware of that?&#8221; Gutfeld asked.
Watters continued to argue, telling Gutfeld that he was still wrong — and then co-host Dana Perino jumped in: &#8220;If you do what Greg says, you don’t get the crap from China.&#8221;
&#8220;That’s my point,&#8221; Gutfeld agreed.

Fox News Channel’s “Gutfeld!” Live In Dallas

‘Everyone’s Dead!’: Watters And Gutfeld Spar Over Drug Legalization

Jesse Watters And Greg Gutfeld Argue Over Libertarian Approach To Drug Legalization

Fox News

Greg Gutfeld

Jesse Watters

A suspected illegal alien with ties to a &#8220;well-known Mexican cartel&#8221; was arrested in Culpeper, Virginia, last Friday, prompting authorities to warn Americans that President Joe Biden&#8217;s southern border crisis is endangering citizens across the country.
“Virginia citizens should realize the extent that Mexican cartels have continued to increase their activity nationwide. Our detectives have purchased kilos of drugs as well as firearms in our region for many months,” Culpeper Sheriff Scott Jenkins <a href="https://www.facebook.com/culpepersheriff">said</a> via Facebook.
“I often say every county is a border county and our southern border has been much more wide open since the end of January this year,&#8221; he added.
Jenkins&#8217; comments came after &#8220;Detective J. Vazquez conducted a two-month investigation, as a member of the Blue Ridge Narcotics Task Force, into the illegal sale of firearms by Dulier Jimenez Barrera, 41, of 517 1st St. in Culpeper, near Yowell Meadow Park,&#8221; the Culpeper-Star Exponent <a href="https://starexponent.com/news/man-suspected-linked-to-mexican-crime-cartel-arrested-in-culpeper-faces-gun-charges/article_b060e9d4-24d9-56b3-aae7-244873130f2d.html">reported</a>.
&#8220;During the investigation, several firearms, high-capacity magazines, and ammunition were purchased from Barrera,&#8221; the paper also reported. &#8220;Task force members also seized $11,700 from the suspect’s home.&#8221;
According to the Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/culpepersheriff">post</a> from the Culpeper County Sheriff&#8217;s office, the operation involved local, state, and federal agencies:
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Because of credible information linking Jimenez Barrera to a well-known Mexican criminal cartel, his arrest was conducted in coordination with multiple agencies.
In addition to Culpeper Sheriff’s Deputies, other members of the arrest operation were officers from the Virginia State Police, ICE’s Homeland Securities Investigations, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and SWAT teams from two agencies.
K-9 trackers, air support, a team of SWAT medics, and the CCSO rescue vehicle were also used during the arrest operation on Friday. In total, more than 35 deputies, officers, and agents participated in the arrest operation.
</blockquote>
</div>
The Daily Wire has previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/deportations-have-dropped-90-percent-with-biden-in-office">reported</a> that deportations under Joe Biden have decreased 90% while illegal immigration has risen to levels not seen in decades.
“Immigration enforcement, as measured by the number of aliens removed from the country, has collapsed to the lowest level since the mid-1990s, according to [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] deportation records the Center has obtained. Under policies imposed by the Biden administration, removals dropped by 80 percent since last year’s low point during the pandemic lockdown, and by 90 percent since 2019, the last normal year for ICE operations,” Jessica Vaughn, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, said in a statement.
The Daily Wire also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/potential-terrorist-apprehended-crossing-southern-border">reported</a> that in November, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol encountered 173,620 illegal aliens along the southern border and that &#8220;of those, 25% involved individuals who had at least one prior encounter in the previous 12 months.&#8221;
In a statement given to The Daily Wire, a spokesman for ICE confirmed that &#8220;Dulier Jimenez-Barrera is believed to be a citizen and national of Guatemala, however, he has not previously been encountered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is not currently in ICE custody.&#8221;
&#8220;ICE issued an immigration detainer, based on probable cause that he violated U.S. law, and will seek to take custody of him after his release by local authorities,&#8221; the spokesman added.
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Dulier Miguel-Ruiz

‘Every County Is A Border County’: Suspected Illegal Alien With Alleged Mexican Cartel Ties Arrested In Culpeper, Virginia

Border Crisis

Illegal Immigration

Southern Border

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We’ve all read the headlines on the border crisis and seen the pathetic Biden administration tripping over itself trying to make us all believe it’s not as bad as the reports indicate. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s far worse than the Biden-apologists in the media are telling us. And it’s been far worse than we’ve all thought for years.
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<div>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/candace">My show</a> this week is focused in part on immigration. Not wanting to just rehash information we’ve all heard, I thought I’d dig a little deeper and provide my audience with a more authentic account of the situation at the border. So, I reached out to a young girl I know who’s a DACA recipient and asked her if it would be possible for me to speak to her mother about how she first came into this country. Despite all of the debate and statistics on immigration circulating on the internet, Americans generally don’t understand how the process takes place. How do migrants actually get into this country illegally and why does it continue to happen at such a high rate? So I asked the girl’s mother and ended up having a conversation that absolutely blew my mind.
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This woman started her journey to America in Guatemala 13 years ago. When she crossed the border illegally, she was a Guatemalan citizen. She has since married an American and has been granted a green card and thus legal status. Her first step required her handing over $3,000 to a drug cartel member, the entry fee for what would prove a harrowing journey that would cost some of the other travelers their lives.
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A group of some 200 others trying to get into America, who had also been forced to fill the pockets of the cartel, met at a farm in Guatemala where they were picked up by a massive truck loaded with a lightweight good — plastic cups. The cartels, she said, make sure that the truck has something that&#8217;s lightweight because under the goods is a hollowed-out area into which the 200 migrants are packed. The first leg of the journey lasts around 24 hours, during which time all the travelers were given was a bottle of water. The woman told me that there was also a bucket in the back to go to the bathroom.
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Over the course of that first leg of the trip, she said, the truck came to several checkpoints where people working for the Mexican government would spray the bottom of the truck with pepper spray, trying to see if there were any illegal aliens hidden inside. If the officials didn’t hear any coughing, they allowed the truck to pass. The coyotes, she said, would threaten to slit the throats of the passengers if they coughed. This routine happened about 10 times.
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After that nightmarish ride, the migrants would be crammed into a house that she said would have hundreds of people in it and where they waited for over a week for a new transport to take them on the next leg of the journey.
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Eventually, the group of migrants reached the point in which they had to walk through the desert. The woman told me that it took her group five days hiking, and at times running from Mexican authorities, through the desert to make it to the border. For that grueling trek, the migrants were handed backpacks containing just a couple of gallons of water and some meager portions of food. During the desert hike, she recalled how one man collapsed, saying he couldn’t go on any further. A woman also gave out during the brutal hike. The two were left to die out there while the coyotes pushed everyone else to keep moving.
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When they reached the American border, she told me, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Once you actually hit American soil, you know you&#8217;re finally safe, she said. The threat — and consequences — of being caught is far more real on the Mexican side.
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She crossed over in Arizona, where an SUV driven by an American was waiting for her group. The traffickers proceeded to pack 24 people into that vehicle, which then drove them all to Los Angeles to a house that held hundreds of people. Now, if you find yourself, like me, doubting the story because it all sounds so surreal, I’ll point you to a recent story that came out of California, where an SUV holding 25 illegal immigrants got into a horrific crash, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/04/us/migrants-crash-california-imperial-valley.html">leaving 13 migrants dead</a>.
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Once she arrived in Los Angeles, her family had to wire another $3,000 to the traffickers for her dangerous journey to finally end. The final payment received, the migrants were taken to various cities across the country. She told me that when she arrived in Virginia, she already had a job lined up for her at a national pizza franchise.
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What I am describing to you is just one person&#8217;s story among millions, and, obviously, I cannot attest to all the details of it. But the larger takeaway is that what is happening at our border is not just happening at our border. It&#8217;s happening throughout the United States. It&#8217;s beyond a crisis. It&#8217;s a network of individuals perpetuating this ongoing humanitarian crisis — on this side of the border.
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For years, I have been asking why the Mexican government isn’t doing anything about illegal immigration. Why are the Mexicans allowing these migrants to race through Mexico forcing us to work so hard to secure the border? But in this woman’s experience, it was the opposite: the migrants feared Mexican authorities far more than Americans, whom they generally felt were actually inviting them in. They were being welcomed by a highly organized network that provided them protection, a place to live and even a job.
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When then-candidate Trump stood up and declared, “I&#8217;m going to build a wall,” the politicians and the news networks exploded with rage. They did not want that wall built. They still don&#8217;t want that wall built. Why? It’s because illegal immigration is actually a well-run business operation that operates the most efficiently on the American side of the border.
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Left-wing activists and politicians are effectively sending out an invitation to migrants, offering sanctuary cities, hotel rooms, college to college, tuition, you name it. Who, we must ask, profits?
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I don&#8217;t work for the United States government. I don&#8217;t work for the CIA, or the FBI or the DOJ. I simply asked a question of one woman — and what I learned laid out an entire network of criminal behavior. If I was able to learn all of that via a one-hour conversation, do you really believe that our Justice Department and FBI don&#8217;t know what&#8217;s going on?
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It seems painfully obvious to me that the cartels aren&#8217;t just controlling the American borders, they&#8217;re also exerting control over aspects of American politics. It&#8217;s not a coincidence that at the very same time that tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants are walking across our border, Democrats are fighting tooth and nail to ensure that voter ID is not a requirement in this country. I think the cartels want the money, but the Democrats want the power. Me? I just want the truth.
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Candace Owens is an American writer, producer, conservative commentator and the host of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/candace">Candace</a>.”
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The views expressed in this piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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“Candace” Hosted By Candace Owens

What’s Happening At The Border Is Far Worse Than We’re Being Told

The Trump administration announced on Wednesday the results from a massive federal operation targeting the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), which is one of the most notorious drug cartels in Mexico.
The Justice Department (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) revealed that over 600 arrests had been made as a result of Project Python, which started late last year.
“Project Python marks the most comprehensive action to date in the Department of Justice’s campaign to disrupt, dismantle, and ultimately destroy CJNG,” Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Criminal Division said during a press conference. “When President Trump signed an Executive Order prioritizing the dismantlement of transnational criminal organizations, the Department of Justice answered the call and took direct aim at CJNG. We deemed CJNG one of the highest-priority transnational organized crime threats we face. And with Project Python, we are delivering results in the face of that threat for the American people.”
President Donald Trump&#8217;s Executive Order 13773 instructed federal officials to identify, interdict, disrupt, and dismantle drug cartels, which has been a top priority of Trump&#8217;s.
The statement added:
<blockquote>CJNG is one of the fastest growing transnational criminal organizations in Mexico, and among the most prolific methamphetamine producers in the world. It is responsible for a significant proportion of drugs entering the United States, and elevated levels of violence in Mexico. With methamphetamine abuse and overdose deaths on the rise, Project Python aims to disrupt CJNG’s ability to distribute methamphetamine and other drugs throughout the United States by attacking the group at all levels.
The efforts highlighted in the more than 600 arrests nationwide are illustrative of the significant reach the CJNG has in manufacturing, importing and distributing a wide array of illegal narcotics within the United States and the negative impact on the fabric of our local communities. The proceeds from the local distribution of these narcotics are repatriated back to Mexico and further fuel transnational organized criminal organizations such as the CJNG. The Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners will continue to vigorously fight this scourge against the United States.</blockquote>
The 2019 DEA National Drug Threat Assessment <a href="https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-01/2019-NDTA-final-01-14-2020_Low_Web-DIR-007-20_2019.pdf">reported</a> the following about CJNG:
<blockquote>CJNG, based in the city of Guadalajara in the Mexican State of Jalisco, is the most recently formed of the six TCOs. With drug distribution hubs in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Atlanta, it is one of the most powerful and fastest growing cartels in Mexico and the United States. CJNG smuggles illicit drugs into the United States by accessing various trafficking corridors along the SWB including Tijuana, Juarez, and Nuevo Laredo. CJNG’s rapid expansion of its drug trafficking activities is characterized by the willingness to engage in violent confrontations with Mexican Government security forces and rival cartels. Like most major Mexican TCOs, CJNG is a poly-drug trafficking group, manufacturing and/or distributing large amounts of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. CJNG reportedly has presence in at least 24 of 32 Mexican states.</blockquote>
“Project Python is the single largest strike by U.S. authorities against CJNG, and this is just the beginning,” Acting DEA Administrator Uttam Dhillon said during the press conference. “This strategic and coordinated project exemplifies DEA’s mission: to disrupt, dismantle, and destroy drug trafficking organizations around the world and bring their leaders to justice. Today, DEA has disrupted CJNG’s operations, and there is more to come as DEA continues its relentless attack on this remorseless criminal organization.”

Attorney General Jeff Sessions And Mexican Counterpart Announce Enforcement Efforts Against Mexican Drug Cartel

‘Just The Beginning’: Trump Strikes Notorious Mexican Drug Cartel, 600+ Arrests Made

Donald Trump

New details have emerged about the American family of nine that were murdered in Mexico back in November as a top Mexican government official was arrested late this week for his alleged involvement in the cartel attack on the family.
Former federal law enforcement official and Phoenix narcotics detective Robert Arce first reported the news on Christmas day. The story was later <a href="https://www.elheraldodechihuahua.com.mx/local/cae-director-de-policia-de-janos-por-caso-lebaron-noticias-de-chihuahua-4627236.html">confirmed</a> by The Herald of Chihuahua, which is a Mexican newspaper.
&#8220;The Police Chief from the Municipality of Janos, Chihuahua, is arrested for suspected links to the Sinaloa Cartel (Los Salazar) by members of the Subprocuraduría Especializada en Investigación de Delincuencia Organizada (SEIDO),&#8221; Arce tweeted. &#8220;The Public Security Director (pictured w/rifle) identified as Chief Fidel Alejandro Villegas Villegas was arrested on December 24, by organized crime investigators (SEIDO) assigned to the federal prosecutor&#8217;s office, the chief was later transported to Mexico City where he will be held along with three suspects, Luis Manuel &amp; Héctor Mario &#8216;El Mayo&#8217; Hernández &amp; a 3rd individual identified only as Cipriano, believed involved in the Lebaron family massacre which occurred on December 4, in nearby Bavispe, Sonora. &#8216;El Mayo&#8217; is accused of being the Plaza Boss for La Línea in Janos, Chihuahua.&#8221;
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1/ The Police Chief from the Municipality of Janos, Chihuahua is arrested for suspected links to the Sinaloa Cartel (Los Salazar) by members of the Subprocuraduría Especializada en Investigación de Delincuencia Organizada (SEIDO). The Public Security Director (pictured w/rifle) <a href="https://t.co/e6eVRksANw">pic.twitter.com/e6eVRksANw</a>
&mdash; Robert Arce (@robertrarce) <a href="https://twitter.com/robertrarce/status/1209957814455586817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
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3/ three suspects, Luis Manuel &amp; Héctor Mario “El Mayo” Hernández &amp; a 3rd individual identified only as Cipriano, believed involved in the Lebaron family massacre which occurred on December 4, in nearby Bavispe, Sonora. “El Mayo” is accused of being the Plaza Boss for La Línea <a href="https://t.co/U8cSGbU9CQ">pic.twitter.com/U8cSGbU9CQ</a>
&mdash; Robert Arce (@robertrarce) <a href="https://twitter.com/robertrarce/status/1209958572257234945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Janos is a small town located in the northwestern section of Chihuahua near the border with the Sonora &amp; approximately 45 miles southeast of Antelope Wells, New Mexico,&#8221; Arce continued. &#8220;The small rural communities located along the Chihuahua/Sonora border provide highly valuable cartel smuggling routes to the U.S. drug markets &amp; have a strong presence of Sinaloa cartel aligned gangs &amp; rival La Línea which is part of the Nuevo Cartel de Juárez or Juárez Cartel. Investigators are examining operational links between local cops &amp; criminal drug gangs that operate in the area. The Lebaron family massacre resulted in the death of three women and six children.&#8221;
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5/ valuable cartel smuggling routes to the U.S. drug markets &amp; have a strong presence of Sinaloa cartel aligned gangs &amp; rival La Línea which is part of the Nuevo Cartel de Juárez or Juárez Cartel. Investigators are examining operational links between local cops &amp; criminal drug
&mdash; Robert Arce (@robertrarce) <a href="https://twitter.com/robertrarce/status/1209959007756021760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The explosive revelation has been picked up by multiple American and British publications over the last day, including <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/12/27/mexican-security-chief-arrested-in-connection-to-mormon-family-massacre/">The New York Post</a>, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7831065/Mexican-police-director-cartel-ties-arrested-Mormon-family-massacre.html">The Daily Mail</a>, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mormon-massacre-mexico-fidel-alejandro-villegas-police-chief-killings-a9262411.html">The Independent</a>, and <a href="https://www.abc4.com/news/national/chief-of-police-arrested-over-mexican-mormon-massacre/">ABC News</a>.
President Donald Trump responded to the news by writing on Twitter, &#8220;A wonderful family and friends from Utah got caught between two vicious drug cartels, who were shooting at each other, with the result being many great American people killed, including young children, and some missing. If Mexico needs or requests help in cleaning out these monsters, the United States stands ready, willing &amp; able to get involved and do the job quickly and effectively. The great new President of Mexico has made this a big issue, but the cartels have become so large and powerful that you sometimes need an army to defeat an army!&#8221;
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&#8230;.monsters, the United States stands ready, willing &amp; able to get involved and do the job quickly and effectively. The great new President of Mexico has made this a big issue, but the cartels have become so large and powerful that you sometimes need an army to defeat an army!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1191708086140047361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Trump added, &#8220;This is the time for Mexico, with the help of the United States, to wage WAR on the drug cartels and wipe them off the face of the earth. We merely await a call from your great new president!&#8221;
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This is the time for Mexico, with the help of the United States, to wage WAR on the drug cartels and wipe them off the face of the earth. We merely await a call from your great new president!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1191708902041227264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Trump later floated the idea of designating the Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO), but eventually backed off the idea, suggesting that the administration had reached a new deal with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to fight the cartels.
“All necessary work has been completed to declare Mexican Cartels terrorist organizations,” Trump tweeted. “Statutorily we are ready to do so. However, at the request of a man who I like and respect, and has worked so well with us, President Andres Manuel [López Obrador] we will temporarily hold off this designation and step up our joint efforts to deal decisively with these vicious and ever-growing organizations!”
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&#8230;.will temporarily hold off this designation and step up our joint efforts to deal decisively with these vicious and ever-growing organizations!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1203096599435644928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Mexico Lebaron family

New Details Emerge About American Family Murdered In Mexico With Shocking New Arrest

Crime

Drug Cartels

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador issued a new statement on Wednesday in response to President Donald Trump saying that the White House intends to designate the Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations. Lopez Obrador said that he rejects intervention by the United States in Mexico.
Lopez Obrador, a 66-year-old far-left populist, made the remarks in response to Trump&#8217;s comments yesterday during an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-announces-new-major-action-against-mexican-drug-cartels">interview</a> with Bill O&#8217;Reilly.
&#8220;Cooperation, yes, interventionism, no,&#8221; Lopez Obrador said when asked by reporters about Trump&#8217;s remarks.
In his interview with Trump, O’Reilly said, “One of the things that you’ve said to me … is that if another country murdered 100,000 Americans with guns, we would go to war with that country. Yet, the Mexican drug cartels kill more than 100,000 Americans every year by the importation of dangerous narcotics.”
“Are you going to designate those cartels in Mexico as terror groups and start hitting them with drones and things like that?” O’Reilly asked.
“I don’t want to say what I am going to do, but they will be designated,” Trump answered. “I’ve already offered Mexico … to let us go in and clean it out and he so far has rejected the offer but at some point something has to be done. Look, we are losing 100,000 people a year to what is happening and what is coming through on Mexico.”
“So you are going to designate the Mexican cartels as terror groups?” O’Reilly continued to prod.
“Yeah, I will be,” Trump replied. “I have been working on that for the last 90 days. You know, designation is not that easy, you have to go through a process, and we are well into that process.”
Trump&#8217;s remarks come after nine Americans were murdered in Mexico at the beginning of the month in an ambush on a highway.
&#8220;This is the time for Mexico, with the help of the United States, to wage WAR on the drug cartels and wipe them off the face of the earth,&#8221; Trump tweeted on November 5th in response to the tragedy. &#8220;We merely await a call from your great new president!&#8221;
After Trump made the announcement yesterday, Mexico’s secretary of foreign relations said in a statement: “By virtue of the good relations that exist between the two countries, the Government of Mexico will seek to have a high-level meeting as soon as possible to present Mexico’s position and know the views of the United States authorities.”
On Monday, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/1-mexico-does-not-expect-163951545.html" rel="noopener">said</a>, “I don’t think the United States will pursue this path because we’re working together, and I don’t think they would want to open up the possibility of Mexico invoking the same legal principles.”
Designating an entity as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), which is done by the State Department, provides the United States with additional tools to combat whatever entity that it gives the designation to, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-announces-new-major-action-against-mexican-drug-cartels">including</a>:
<ul>
<li>It is unlawful for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to a designated FTO.</li>
<li>Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to, and in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.</li>
<li>The Secretary of the Treasury may require U.S. financial institutions possessing or controlling any assets of a designated FTO to block all transactions involving those assets.</li>
<li>Supports U.S. efforts to curb terrorism financing and to encourage other nations to do the same;</li>
<li>Stigmatizes and isolates designated terrorist organizations internationally;</li>
<li>Deters donations or contributions to and economic transactions with named organizations;</li>
<li>Heightens public awareness and knowledge of terrorist organizations; and</li>
<li>Signals to other governments U.S. concern about named organizations.</li>
</ul>

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Issues New Statement On Trump Designating Cartels As Terrorist Organizations

On Wednesday, in the wake of the murder of nine Americans in Mexico on Monday, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley issued a blunt tweet challenging the Mexican government, writing, “With Mexico, enough is enough. US government should impose sanctions on Mexican officials, including freezing assets, who won’t confront cartels. Cartels are flooding MO w/ meth, trafficking children, &amp; openly slaughtering American citizens. And Mexico looks the other way.”
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With Mexico, enough is enough. US government should impose sanctions on Mexican officials, including freezing assets, who won’t confront cartels. Cartels are flooding MO w/ meth, trafficking children, &amp; openly slaughtering American citizens. And Mexico looks the other way
&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1192121566638825472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
On Thursday, the Mexican Ambassador to the United States, Martha Barcena Coqui,  responded with a letter apparently linking the U.S. to the increased violence of the drug cartels in Mexico, bringing up Americans’ demand for black-market drugs. Barcena wrote:
<blockquote>In the wake of the tragic loss of lives during the heinous assault that took place against the binational Mormon community of Lebaron in Mexico, my government categorically rejects your recent mischaracterization on Mexico not actively combating transnational organized crime and suggesting to impose sanctions on Mexican officials.
One of the top priorities of President Lopez Obrador is to promote security with a new approach, not seek a violent confrontation with organized crime groups, a strategy that failed in previous administrations leading to unprecedented escalation of violence.</blockquote>
After writing that Mexico “reiterates its willingness to work with the United States,” Barcena added a handwritten note at the bottom of the typed letter, stating, “I hope to be able to discuss these matters with you personally, including how to reduce drug demand in the U.S.”
Hawley noted, “In response to my call for sanctions, yesterday the Mexican Ambassador responded w/ letter taking zero responsibility, offering no change in Mexico’s failed policies, &amp; suggesting real problem is Americans’ “drug demand.” As if Americans are responsible for the cartels’ crimes.”
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In response to my call for sanctions, yesterday the Mexican Ambassador responded w/ letter taking zero responsibility, offering no change in Mexico’s failed policies, &amp; suggesting real problem is Americans’ “drug demand.” As if Americans are responsible for the cartels’ crimes <a href="https://t.co/zo0jl7u2kG">pic.twitter.com/zo0jl7u2kG</a>
&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1192524833340477440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
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As Tristan Justice reported at <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2019/11/08/mexican-ambassador-blames-drug-cartel-violence-on-addicted-americans/">The Federalist</a>, “Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams of Utah, one of six Mormons in the House of Representatives, joined Hawley in challenging Congress to consider sanctions on the Mexican government.
McAdams told the Federalist, “The unspeakable violence against U.S. women and children this week in the border region of Mexico shocks the conscience and demands action. These criminals place no value on human life and cannot be tolerated by the U.S. or Mexican governments. I call on Congress to join me in considering a range of ideas, including imposing sanctions on Mexican officials who won’t confront the cartels, and declaring Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.”
Justice also spoke to Republican Rep. Chris Stewart, (R-UT), who asserted:
<blockquote>Following these horrific attacks, I believe the U.S. must partner with the Mexican government, not sanction them. Sanctioning Mexico will cripple our neighbor and reduce the incentive for mutual cooperation in delivering justice to the cartels who carried out this heinous attack.</blockquote>
On Tuesday, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/newt-gingrich-mexican-drug-cartel-shootout-wake-up-call-mormon-family-homicide-abduction">stated</a>, &#8220;Mexico is a vital American interest. And, our desire to make sure the Mexican government defeats the cartels, should be enormous. And I hope this will be a wake-up call &#8212; that we had better find a way to have a partnership with the Mexican government and help them with whatever intelligence training equipment they need to decisively defeat the cartels who are now, frankly, a state within a state.&#8221;
According to the <a href="https://www.cfr.org/interactive/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/criminal-violence-mexico">Council of Foreign Relations</a>:
<blockquote>By 2016, drug-related homicides had<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mexico-homicides-in-2016-under-enrique-pena-nieto-2017-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> increased by 22 percent</a>, with more than twenty thousand killed, and in 2017 a mass grave containing the remains of more than 250 victims of crime-related violence was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/15/americas/mexico-mass-grave-skulls-found-veracruz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">uncovered</a> in Veracruz State. Since 2006, crime-related violence has resulted in an <a href="https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41576.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">estimated 150,000 deaths</a>. &#8230; In 2018, the <a href="http://secretariadoejecutivo.gob.mx/docs/pdfs/nueva-metodologia/CNSP-V%C3%ADctimas-2018_dic18.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">number of drug-related homicides</a> in Mexico rose to 33,341, a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/01/23/687579971/mexico-reports-highest-ever-homicide-rate-in-2018-tops-33-000-investigations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">15 percent increase</a> from the previous year—and a record high.</blockquote>

Key Speakers At The Economist Mexico Summit

Mexican Ambassador To U.S. Implies Americans At Fault For Increased Cartel Violence

Josh Hawley

Violence

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