The ‘New’ US War on Organized Crime

President Trump’s administration has made the fight against drug trafficking the premise for militarized, punitive action both at home and abroad.  

At home, it has inflated the threat represented by criminal groups such as Tren de Aragua to carry out large-scale militarized sweeps to find and deport undocumented migrants.

Abroad, Trump has gone even further, adding 18 criminal organizations from Latin America and the Caribbean to the US Foreign Terrorist Organization list, clearing the path for more aggressive tactics, such as bombing alleged drug boats in international waters, a campaign that has killed more than 200 people since September 2025. But US cocaine seizures are no greater than they were the year before, and traffickers have continued undeterred, finding new routes to get drugs to consumer markets. 

This post is part of our annual Summer InSights series. See the full series here.

The United States has also reinstated the kingpin strategy, targeting the top leaders of criminal groups around the region, including Venezuela, Mexico, Ecuador, and Bolivia. But instead of paralyzing criminal groups, removing their leaders often leads to fragmentation and competition for power, fueling new waves of violence. 

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Check out more of our multimedia coverage and analysis—including maps, graphics, timelines, Q&As, and audio content—for more in-depth context on Washington’s increasingly militarized and expansive security policy in Latin America.

Audio Content

Criminal Profiles

Explore the rise and fall of several criminal bosses that have been killed, captured, or extradited under the United States’ renewed kingpin strategy.  

Don’t miss the rest of the Summer InSights 2026 series

That wraps up the first edition of Summer InSights 2026—but our coverage of this topic is far from over. We’ll continue tracking how these dynamics evolve. And over the coming weeks, stay tuned for three more criminal trends reshaping organized crime across Latin America.

More of a listener than a reader? Tune in to Season 2 of our podcast for stories that go beyond the headlines.