Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
El Mencho is dead. Now what?
In this powerful panel from the 2026 North America Summit, host Selene Rodriguez of the Texas Public Policy Foundation sits down with three of the nation's top cartel experts to answer the question Washington doesn't want to ask: is taking down one kingpin actually enough?
DEA Deputy Administrator Dan Salter, Omni Intelligence CEO Jaeson Jones, and TPPF Senior Fellow & former Border Patrol Agent Ammon Blair break down what really happened the night El Mencho was killed, why Mexico's 44% drop in homicides is historic, and why the cartels as we know them may finally be on borrowed time.
But this conversation goes far beyond one cartel boss.
These experts expose how the cartels have infiltrated every layer of Mexican society — from local elections to the cattle and food supply hitting American grocery store shelves. They reveal the unprecedented intelligence-sharing and military cooperation now happening between the U.S. and Mexico, what the Foreign Terrorist Organization designation actually unlocks for U.S. operations, and why indicting corrupt Mexican politicians could be a turning point — or a trap.
Timestamps:
0:00 - The Night El Mencho Was Killed: Inside the Operation
2:39 - Why One Takedown Isn't Enough
4:29 - Cartels in Your Food Supply: Cattle, Avocados & American Grocery Stores
8:32 - The FTO Designation & Unlocking Full Spectrum Operations
13:43 - Can We Trust Mexico's Government? The Morena Problem
17:23 - "The Cartels As We Know Them Are Over"
Topics covered:
- The operation that killed El Mencho — inside details
- Why homicide metrics alone don't tell the whole story
- Cartels, cattle, and your food supply
- FTO designation and the legal tools it unlocks
- The historic indictment of a sitting Mexican official
- What "full spectrum operations" actually means
- The role of the CIA, DEA, and Department of Defense
- Can Mexico's Morena-led government be trusted?
This is the frank, unfiltered conversation that every American concerned about border security, national security, and the cartel threat needs to hear.
🔔 Subscribe for more from the Texas Public Policy Foundation
🌐 Learn more at texaspolicy.com
#Cartels #BorderSecurity #ElMencho #CJNG #NorthAmericaSummit #NationalSecurity #DrugWar #TPPF #DEA #FTO
The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s mission is to promote and defend liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas and the nation by educating and affecting policymakers and the Texas public policy debate with academically sound research and outreach.
Funded by thousands of individuals, foundations, and corporations, the Foundation does not accept government funds or contributions to influence the outcomes of its research.
The public is demanding a different direction for their government, and the Texas Public Policy Foundation is providing the ideas that enable policymakers to chart that new course.
Website: texaspolicy.com
X: twitter.com/tppf
Facebook: facebook.com/texaspolicy
Instagram: instagram.com/texaspolicy
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/texas-public-policy-foundation
El Mencho is dead. Now what?
In this powerful panel from the 2026 North America Summit, host Selene Rodriguez of the Texas Public Policy Foundation sits down with three of the nation's top cartel experts to answer the question Washington doesn't want to ask: is taking down one kingpin actually enough?
DEA Deputy Administrator Dan Salter, Omni Intelligence CEO Jaeson Jones, and TPPF Senior Fellow & former Border Patrol Agent Ammon Blair break down what really happened the night El Mencho was killed, why Mexico's 44% drop in homicides is historic, and why the cartels as we know them may finally be on borrowed time.
But this conversation goes far beyond one cartel boss.
These experts expose how the cartels have infiltrated every layer of Mexican society — from local elections to the cattle and food supply hitting American grocery store shelves. They reveal the unprecedented intelligence-sharing and military cooperation now happening between the U.S. and Mexico, what the Foreign Terrorist Organization designation actually unlocks for U.S. operations, and why indicting corrupt Mexican politicians could be a turning point — or a trap.
Timestamps:
0:00 - The Night El Mencho Was Killed: Inside the Operation
2:39 - Why One Takedown Isn't Enough
4:29 - Cartels in Your Food Supply: Cattle, Avocados & American Grocery Stores
8:32 - The FTO Designation & Unlocking Full Spectrum Operations
13:43 - Can We Trust Mexico's Government? The Morena Problem
17:23 - "The Cartels As We Know Them Are Over"
Topics covered:
- The operation that killed El Mencho — inside details
- Why homicide metrics alone don't tell the whole story
- Cartels, cattle, and your food supply
- FTO designation and the legal tools it unlocks
- The historic indictment of a sitting Mexican official
- What "full spectrum operations" actually means
- The role of the CIA, DEA, and Department of Defense
- Can Mexico's Morena-led government be trusted?
This is the frank, unfiltered conversation that every American concerned about border security, national security, and the cartel threat needs to hear.
🔔 Subscribe for more from the Texas Public Policy Foundation
🌐 Learn more at texaspolicy.com
#Cartels #BorderSecurity #ElMencho #CJNG #NorthAmericaSummit #NationalSecurity #DrugWar #TPPF #DEA #FTO
The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s mission is to promote and defend liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas and the nation by educating and affecting policymakers and the Texas public policy debate with academically sound research and outreach.
Funded by thousands of individuals, foundations, and corporations, the Foundation does not accept government funds or contributions to influence the outcomes of its research.
The public is demanding a different direction for their government, and the Texas Public Policy Foundation is providing the ideas that enable policymakers to chart that new course.
Website: texaspolicy.com
X: twitter.com/tppf
Facebook: facebook.com/texaspolicy
Instagram: instagram.com/texaspolicy
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/texas-public-policy-foundation
