When Richard Nixon declared drug abuse “public enemy number one” in 1971, he set in motion a war whose consequences still ripple across the Americas. What began as a campaign framed around morality and public health quickly transformed into an aggressive law enforcement and militarized approach, with consequences Nixon could scarcely have imagined. Decades later, the battle against drugs is no longer simply about consumption or addiction—it has become a geopolitical, social, and economic quagmire, where victories often breed deeper crises.
The latest chapter unfolded on a Sunday morning with the familiar cadence of triumph: Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), had been killed. Mexican military forces, aided by U.S. intelligence, eliminated a man whose influence stretched from avocado farms in western Mexico to migrant smuggling networks spanning multiple continents.
