The United States is conditioning its cooperation with Mexico on drug trafficking enforcement upon actions taken by national authorities—specifically, the arrest of criminal leaders.
Through the 2026 National Drug Control Strategy, the White House has issued various guidelines regarding the fight against criminal groups.
The document states that it is the responsibility of the Department of State—in coordination with the Department of Justice—to lead efforts aimed at maintaining robust and measurable cooperation with Mexico, thereby dismantling criminal structures.
However, this cooperation is contingent upon actions taken by Mexico, including the extradition of group leaders and the dismantling of facilities used for drug manufacturing.
“This assistance will be conditioned on tangible results, including the adoption of appropriate measures to arrest, prosecute, and extradite leaders of FTOs [Foreign Terrorist Organizations] and to dismantle synthetic drug laboratories,” reads a passage from the document.
Furthermore, the report itself establishes as a key objective the curbing of the flow of weaponry from the US to Mexico—weapons that ultimately end up in the hands of members of criminal groups.
