FBI Director Patel Says Trump's Order To Conduct Military Strikes On Cartels Will Increase Fentanyl Seizures

FBI Director Kash Patel said President Donald Trump's recent order approving military strikes against Latin American cartels will lead to increased fentanyl seizures.

Patel said seizures of the lethal drug have increased by 25% year-on-year, clocking in at 1,500 kilos during Trump's first 200 days in office.

"We expect to work with our partners Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, and the Defense Department," Patel added, in reference to the order approving strikes on the criminal organizations.

Authorities' fight against drug-trafficking have been making headlines lately, with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) recently managing to infiltrate the Sinaloa Cartel as it sought to disrupt fentanyl trafficking operations, according to a report.

Specialized journalist Anabel Hernandez detailed that agency informants embedded within the criminal organization and began supplying information, getting testimonies, undercover purchases and recordings to help build a case.

Mexican federal forces and U.S. security agencies identified these operations as a turning point for the faction of the cartel known as the Chapitos.

The DEA linked fentanyl distribution in California to the group through two people: one was Los Angeles resident Mariel Lino, who sold 10,000 fentanyl pills to an undercover agent. The operation was recorded with a hidden camera and helped advance the operation.

The agency was also following a man known as "Mateo," who had a direct link with the Chapitos and was able to access synthetic drug labs in Mexico.

Following the sale made by Lino, authorities fitted her car with a GPS, a move that eventually led to the arrests of two accomplices: Bryan Alberto Gonzalez and Juan Ayala. Both had drugs in them when apprehended. Prosecutors argue these operations provide direct evidence connecting Los Chapitos to fentanyl trafficking into the U.S.

Such operations have allowed U.S. ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson to say cartels are "going bankrupt." Johnson made the claim in a social media publication last week, echoing a previous statement by White House border czar Tom Homan, who said criminal organizations are "broke."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that while fentanyl-related overdose deaths declined after December 2023, the synthetic opioid was involved in many of the 80,112 overdose deaths recorded in 2024.