Cartel Leader Admits That President Trump’s Cartel Crackdown Works

A senior Sinaloa Cartel leader has admitted that President Donald Trump’s 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’s aggressive stance on border control and drug trafficking has disrupted their business.

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.

Culver interviewed the masked, goggle-wearing Sinaloa leader, who described his own criminal past: “From killing to coordinating smuggling operations, he says he’s done it all,” Culver reported.

When asked directly, “Do you think what President Trump has been doing has been making your job tougher?” the cartel member answered bluntly: “Oh yeah. Yeah.”

“So it’s becoming more difficult, you think?” Culver pressed.

“Yeah,” the senior member confirmed.

According to Culver, these enforcement measures have “massive implications” for the cartels. “You 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’s jumped from about $6,500 a person that they were charging earlier this year to now nearly $10,000 that they’re charging,” Culver said. Many migrants simply cannot afford these higher rates, and those who do often end up in deep debt to the cartels.

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, “Yeah,” but justified his actions as self-defense — “You have something wrong to me, I do something bad to you.”

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’t leave the cartel, his response was chilling: once someone joins, “they cannot get out.”