It has been a long time since I put together a ‘Bullets’ post and since this morning’s article and the work updating the Additional Sources page I figures what the heck. May as well write a short post going down the cartel rabbit hole.
Peru’s Fujimori and Sanchez lead presidential runoff race as count enters final stretch – Reuters
Elections in Peru show the march to the right in the Americas continues:
Together, the right-wing parties of Fujimori and Lopez Aliaga would command a majority in both the Senate and the lower house, after Peru reinstated a bicameral legislature during April’s general election.
Brazil’s Lula launches $2 billion anti-organized crime project ahead of elections – AP
My hopes were higher, but there doesn’t seem to be money allocated to take the fight to the cartels. This should not surprise you, mostly window dressing:
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s government Tuesday launched an anti-organized crime program seen by some politicians as an attempt by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to beef up his public security credentials ahead of October’s elections.
Ghaleb Krame on Cartels, Drones, and Mexico’s Response – Small Wars Journal
Two things from this article that I would like to highlight about the cartels in Mexico:
Krame interprets cartel activity as irregular warfare rather than conventional organized crime. In states such as Tamaulipas, Veracruz, and Colima, he describes adversaries that operate as decentralized armed networks. They adapt quickly and apply sustained pressure on institutions, which drives tactical innovation.
And…
Krame highlights early cartel adoption of drones, beginning with improvised explosive devices and progressing toward potential AI-enabled targeting. This trajectory reflects continuous adaptation enabled by access to global technologies and specialized expertise.
Here is the podcast they were summarizing:
Exclusive: CIA escalates secret war on cartels with deadly operations inside Mexico – CNN
This report builds on the Cappy Army story that got me thinking about cartels today, just with different details. Here is the most important part:
The Beltran operation was part of an expanded, and previously unreported, CIA campaign inside Mexico — spearheaded by the agency’s elite and secretive Ground Branch — to dismantle the entrenched cartel networks, those sources as well as two additional people familiar with the campaign told CNN. President Donald Trump has designated several of those groups foreign terrorist organizations and deemed them to be at war with the United States.
This is a story I am going to continue to follow. I consider myself a bit of a Western Hemisphere chauvinist, so…