The increasing pressure placed by the U.S. government on Mexico to fight drug cartels has led to increased interest from U.S. and international media on the topic, which they had historically only covered in passing. This new interest has the potential to spell big trouble for Mexico’s government as news outlets are beginning to pay close attention to the deep-rooted connections between the highest levels of that country’s political elite and drug cartels.
Almost immediately after taking office, U.S. President Donald J. Trump threatened Mexico’s government with tariffs over their refusal to fight drug cartels. As Breitbart Texas reported, the White House publicly called out the “relationship” between Mexico’s government and cartels, basically calling the country a narco-state.
Breitbart Texas reported exclusively on how Mexico’s top security chief Omar Garcia Harfuch was leading the nations media strategy by embellishing the profiles of some arrested mid-level cartel figures and the seizures of items left behind by gunmen – on purpose, according to various law enforcement sources in Mexico– as a way to give the appearance that they were cracking down on cartels. On the surface, Mexico has been focusing on the Sinaloa Cartel, but has largely left alone the hyperviolent rival Cartel Jalisco New Generation.
The pressure from the U.S. government sparked renewed attention from mainstream U.S. news outlets that for years had largely ignored the mass killing, mass kidnapping, and other brutal acts carried out by drug cartels in Mexico. This attention has led U.S. journalists to “discover” the historic ties between Mexican politicos and drug cartels. The ongoing interest from mainstream media has the potential to expose more cartel ties and threaten the rocky relationship between Mexico and the Trump Administration.
In one of their most recent articles, the Wall Street Journal focused on the ties between the Sinaloa Cartel and the governor of that state, Ruben Rocha Moya. As Breitbart Texas has reported, Rocha Moya is believed to have helped set up a meeting with top Sinaloa Cartel bosses where Los Chapitos set up an ambush for Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, where they captured him, loaded him up on a plane, and flew him to Texas.
El Mayo’s arrest in the U.S. set off a fierce turf war that has sunk Sinaloa into levels of violence not seen in that area before.
Rocha Moya is not the only Mexican politician who has been exposed for having cartel ties. Last week, Breitbart Texas reported on the deportation of Tomas Yarrington, a former governor of Tamaulipas who spent several years in a U.S. prison on money laundering charges. He is currently in Mexican custody awaiting trial on charges related to enabling drug trafficking. During his term from 1999 to 2005, drug cartels were able to operate with impunity in Tamaulipas. As Breitbart Texas exclusively reported, Mexico’s government protected Yarrington for years and gave him police officers as bodyguards while he was listed as a fugitive by the U.S. Department of Justice. The Wall Street Journal reported the same story five months later.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at
