Terrance D. Cole’s Plan for Mexico: A Colombian Model
During his confirmation hearings last week, Terrance D. Cole, nominated to lead the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), faced questioning from Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and an ally of President Donald Trump. Graham pressed Cole on the extent of cartel influence in Mexico, to which Cole responded that “the majority” of the country is under cartel control.
Cole, who has worked in various DEA positions in Mexico, elaborated that when he left the agency in 2019 from Mexico City, he observed the significant cartel dominance. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel controlled 24 out of Mexico’s 31 states.
The “Cartels-Government Collaboration” Accusation
The accusation that Mexican government, law enforcement, and cartels “work hand-in-hand” is not new but continues to bewilder many, both in the U.S. and globally.
What Cole Proposes for Mexico: A Colombian-Inspired Program
Cole suggested implementing a program similar to one used in Colombia during the 1980s, which was instrumental in targeting the Medellín and Cali cartels. This program, known as the “Judicial Interception of Communications,” involved court-ordered wiretaps supported by Colombian judges and law enforcement.
“Programa de Interceptación de Comunicaciones Judiciales”
This DEA initiative, in practice, was a series of electronic surveillance activities legally authorized and backed by Colombian courts. It played a crucial role in the DEA’s anti-narcotic efforts during that time.
Today, with advancements like artificial intelligence, intercepting and monitoring communications has vast potential. However, it also presents a high-tech battle between the U.S.’s surveillance capabilities against cartels and their associates versus the cartels’ substantial financial resources to evade surveillance.
The DEA’s Demands from the Mexican Government: A Closer Look
To ensure successful cooperation, as President Trump emphasizes, there must be a “cooperative effort.” This wasn’t merely an independent U.S. program in Colombia; it worked alongside Colombian authorities due to sovereignty laws.
Before implementing this communication surveillance, Colombian law enforcement had to be cleaned up, as it was riddled with corrupt officials who worked for the government but took bribes from cartels to protect them.
Legal Aspects: The Colombian Model
First, the legal aspect had to be addressed. These intercepted communications needed authorization under Colombian laws, followed by judicial orders with the approval and cooperation of Colombian judges and prosecutors.
This ensured the intelligence gathered was legally admissible as evidence within the Colombian system, which was crucial for its admissibility in U.S. courts. The main condition was equalizing and validating Colombian judges’ legal orders to grant them the same legal force in the U.S.
What the DEA Wants from Mexico: Collection, Evidence, and Operational Disruption
1. Intelligence Collection:
The primary goal was to intercept communications, mainly phone calls, between suspected members of significant drug trafficking organizations like the Medellín and Cali cartels and their associates.
- Identifying members and partners of the cartels;
- Understanding organizational structures and hierarchies;
- Locating hideouts, labs, and key personnel;
- Uncovering drug trafficking plans (routes, schedules, methods, or money laundering activities);
- Exposing plans for violence, bribery, or intimidation against officials and/or rivals.
2. Evidence Collection:
Although challenging due to legal complexities, the aim was to gather evidence usable in Colombian courts against drug traffickers, their accomplices, and associates.
3. Operational Disruption:
The intercepted communication information enabled law enforcement (both Colombian and DEA-supported units) to plan raids, seizures, and arrests, ultimately dismantling cartel operations.
4. Tracking Key Figures:
This surveillance and espionage significantly helped track high-value targets like Pablo Escobar and the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers.
Challenges in Implementing a Similar Program in Mexico
Essentially, DEA support for judicial wiretaps in Colombia during the 1980s ultimately strengthened Colombian law enforcement’s capacity to eavesdrop on powerful drug cartels within a legal framework.
This enabled the dismantling of their operations through critical intelligence and evidence collection.
While vital then, it’s now recognized as a risky and complex program requiring stringent legal compliance.
2025: Trump’s Demands for Mexico – A Tough Choice
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Military intervention against cartels, involving various weaponry from drones to missiles, covert operations, assassinations, and kidnappings of drug lords, criminals, and their associates.
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A communication interception program targeting cartels, designed to expose and implicate those protecting them and those bought by the cartels.
Washington’s Message: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Trump’s approach offers a bitter pill with these two options: military intervention against cartels or a communication interception program. One of these must occur during Trump’s presidency, and Mexico must choose which it prefers.
