A senior Sinaloa Cartel leader has admitted that President Donald Trump\u2019s strong border security policies are taking a real toll on their criminal operations. Speaking anonymously to CNN senior national correspondent David Culver, the cartel member acknowledged that Trump\u2019s aggressive stance on border control and drug trafficking has disrupted their business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Trump administration made confronting foreign cartels a top national security priority. By deploying more resources to the southern border, pressuring Mexico to take action, and increasing enforcement against drug trafficking networks, Trump sought to stop the flow of fentanyl, heroin, and human smuggling into the United States. His administration worked closely with law enforcement to dismantle smuggling corridors and target cartel finances, a shift that has forced cartels to adapt and scramble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Culver interviewed the masked, goggle-wearing Sinaloa leader, who described his own criminal past: \u201cFrom killing to coordinating smuggling operations, he says he\u2019s done it all,\u201d Culver reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nWhen asked directly, \u201cDo you think what President Trump has been doing has been making your job tougher?\u201d the cartel member answered bluntly: \u201cOh yeah. Yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s becoming more difficult, you think?\u201d Culver pressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d the senior member confirmed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
According to Culver, these enforcement measures have \u201cmassive implications\u201d for the cartels. \u201cYou heard that cartel boss say that his job is getting tougher. And because of that, officials say cartels are now charging much more to get migrants across. It\u2019s jumped from about $6,500 a person that they were charging earlier this year to now nearly $10,000 that they\u2019re charging,\u201d Culver said. Many migrants simply cannot afford these higher rates, and those who do often end up in deep debt to the cartels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a moment of rare candor, the cartel operative admitted the harm caused by his organization: when Culver asked if he felt part of the problem, he replied, \u201cYeah,\u201d but justified his actions as self-defense \u2014 \u201cYou have something wrong to me, I do something bad to you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The man said his decision to speak publicly was meant as a warning to others about the cost of a life in organized crime. But when asked why he doesn\u2019t leave the cartel, his response was chilling: once someone joins, \u201cthey cannot get out.\u201d
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