The United States has poured a veritable war chest into combating the sale and abuse of drugs over the past several decades. But in 2026, more than half a century after President Richard Nixon first declared his “War on Drugs,” powerful traffickers continue to unleash violence across the border, and illicit narcotics are more available than ever.
On Sunday, authorities in Mexico announced the death of the country’s most wanted cartel leader following a government operation to capture him. Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, led the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which in recent years grew into one of the largest traffickers of fentanyl and other drugs to the U.S. The Trump administration provided Mexico intelligence for the operation, the White House later confirmed.
