Donald Trump‘s national security adviser on Friday promised to unleash ‘holy hell’ on drugs cartels, responsible for smuggling deadly fentanyl across the southern border.
Mike Waltz made his comments two days after the Trump administration labeled eight cartels as ‘foreign terrorist organizations.’
It triggered speculation that military action or even drone strikes could follow.
‘We are going to unleash Holy hell on the cartels,’ said Waltz at the Conservative Political Action Conference just outside Washington, D.C.
‘Enough is enough. We are securing our border, and the cartels are on notice.’
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has already made clear that he and Trump are open to using military force within Mexico.
He said ‘all options will be on the table if we’re dealing with what are designated to be foreign terrorist organizations who are specifically targeting Americans on our border.’
CIA Director John Ratcliffe has reportedly told agents that more resources will be shifted towards counternarcotics missions to disrupt the cartels’ operations.
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz: ‘Enough is enough. We are securing our border, and the cartels are on notice’
Elements of the Mexican Army, the National Guard and the Jalisco Security Secretariat guard two of the four armored vehicles that were seized from criminals in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco State
Trump signed an executive order laying out the groundwork for designating cartels as terror groups soon after retaking office.
On Wednesday, the State Department formally designated eight groups, including the Sinaloa Cartel, Tren de Aragua, and Mara Salvatrucha.
It said the cartels posed a threat to U.S. national security, foreign policy and economic interests
But the move sent shockwaves through Mexico.
‘The Mexican people will under no circumstances accept interventions, intrusions, or any other action from abroad that are detrimental to the integrity, independence, or sovereignty of the nation… (including) violations of Mexican territory, whether by land, sea, or air,’ said President Sheinbaum said during a regular morning news conference.
Mexico had long opposed the move. It argued that the cartels are motivated by profit rather than political goals.
Earlier this week it emerged that U.S. drone were flying over northwestern Mexico, after the Pentagon said it was stepping up surveillance capabilities along the shared border.
