The White House would have stopped the DEA's plan to attack cartels in Mexican territory
Sources consulted by The Washington Post revealed the DEA's plans to carry out military attacks in Mexico that ultimately did not materialize
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) proposed carrying out military attacks in Mexico against cartels, including selective assassinations of leaders and attacks on infrastructure, but the proposal was rejected by the White House and the Pentagon, according to The Washington Post.
The debate took place in the first weeks of President Donald Trump's return, after designating several Latin American criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations.
According to sources consulted by the aforementioned media, DEA officials went so far as to suggest that, with this designation, military action against the cartels could be justified, establishing parallels with anti-terrorist attacks.
However, Pentagon officials stressed that this classification does not grant legal authority for the use of force. “Just because something is classified as a terrorist organization doesn't give you the authority to shoot it,” said one of the sources, who described the DEA as “receptive” to these clarifications.
They analyzed the risks of the operation
The acting administrator of the Agency at the time of the debate, Derek Maltz, assured the Post that he was “totally in favor” of attacking drug labs and carrying out attacks on the heads of drug trafficking organizations, although he insisted that his intention was “always to do it in collaboration and cooperation with Mexico.”
In this regard, NBC News reported in April that drone strikes were among the ideas under discussion, although Trump has so far refrained from ordering such operations within Mexican territory.
The DEA's insistence seemed to be seeking a space of influence in the redefinition of foreign policy towards the Western Hemisphere. However, the lack of a legal framework and the risk of causing the deaths of American citizens led to the proposal being halted, The Washington Post added.
The new information gains relevance amid the controversy over the legality of three recent attacks by the United States Army on alleged Venezuelan drug boats in the waters of the Caribbean Sea, actions rejected by Caracas, which denies involvement in illegal operations.