This week, new Latin American victims have fallen due to the criminal addiction of Americans to drugs. During an expensive military operation to capture a renowned drug trafficker, approximately 25 soldiers and 30 drug traffickers from Mexico were killed. The United States is the world's largest consumer of drugs, and since 1999, more than one million people have died from overdoses. As long as cartels, crime syndicates, and local networks distributing narcotics are not visible in the United States, demand will continue to grow. The cities with the highest concentration of addicts include New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and Houston. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), there are no visible cartels in the United States, only distributors and gangs that sustain the domestic market. Unlike in Latin America, reports on the arrests or deaths of leaders in the distribution chain are not published, even though this trade is considered clandestine and illicit. Latin America produces the drugs and provides the bodies, but in the United States, they are distributed and consumed. In 2025, Mexico handed over 26 high-profile leaders, active members of cartels such as Sinaloa, Gulf, Northwest, New Michoacán Family, United Cartels, and the most currently mentioned, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The trafficking and consumption of drugs have become not just a criminal problem, but also a public health and social threat. "Simply, the DEA and OFAC do not say whether they are capturing or investigating local drug lords."
Fentanyl Addiction in US Streets: New Latin American Victims
America's drug addiction has created new victims in Latin America. As the world's largest drug consumer, the US spends heavily to curb supply, yet demand persists. This issue has escalated into a public health crisis.
