A new initiative between the United States and Mexico aims to strengthen collaboration in the fight against drug cartels.
Project Portero, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) operation aimed at dismantling cartel operatives, called gatekeepers, who control the smuggling corridors along the Southwest Border, is a major component of the initiative. Gatekeepers direct the flow of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine into the United States and ensure the movement of firearms and cash into Mexico.
“DEA is taking decisive action to confront the cartels that are killing Americans with fentanyl and other poisons,” DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said. “Project Portero and this new training program show how we will fight – by planning and operating side by side with our Mexican partners, and by bringing the full strength of the U.S. government to bear. This is a bold first step in a new era of cross-border enforcement, and we will pursue it relentlessly until these violent organizations are dismantled.”
DEA is holding a multi-week training and collaboration program at one of its intelligence centers on the Southwest Border to identify joint targets, develop coordinated enforcement strategies, and strengthen the exchange of intelligence. Participants include U.S. law enforcement, Mexican investigators, and members of the intelligence community.