We have been discussing the press and it’s freedom, or lack thereof. If you’d like to catch up you can check out these posts

• Propaganda in Modern Society 4dforum
• More Propaganda! 4dforum
• Even More Propaganda! 4dforum
• Propaganda Takes a Dark Turn 4dforum
• Propaganda and Darkness 4dforum
• Is Propaganda the Law? 4dforum
• Remember the Epstein Files 4dforum
• Meanwhile in Minneapolis 4dforum
• Remember the Children of Ukraine 4dforum
• Election Rigging 4dforum
• Trump and the Press 4dforum

I don’t remember the last time I saw a news story on TV about the Mexican cartels. They are still smuggling drugs, particularly fentanyl that killed 76,516 people in the US for the twelve-month period ending in April 2025 (The World Data). That’s a lot of souls. Fentanyl is made in Xi Jinpeng‘s China and shipped to Mexico where drug cartels make pills out of it. The cartels then smuggle it into the US (Reuters).

Today I did another search; “Mexico cartels news” and set the time constraint to one week. No major news organizations carry a story with the exception of Fox News.

• Cartels use drones to scout border agents and map smuggling routes, expert warns – Fox News

There are some stories by smaller news outlets.

• Mexican Cartels Stealing Thousands of US Rental Cars Newsmax
• One Hundred Children Have Been Out of School Since 2024 in the Community of Chenalhó, Chiapas, Where Residents Report That an Armed Group is Forcing Minors to Use Drugs – Cartel Insider
• The Iranian plot to hire Los Zetas: How an attack in Washington Was Foiled – Cartel Insider

Since 2018, Mexico has consistently recorded more than 30,000 murders and unlawful killings annually, in addition to thousands of kidnappings and enforced disappearances. As of 2024, cartels are believed to control approximately one-third of Mexico’s territory, and 115,000 people are registered as missing. More than 90 per cent of the victims went missing after the start of the ‘war on drugs’ and militarization of policing in 2006. Every Casualty

It doesn’t benefit Trump to have news about deaths in Mexico on the news. Partially because of Salvador Cienfuegos (see below).

US President for Life Donald Trump‘s excursions, and accompanying bravado, into the Venezuelan drug trade completely bypasses the Mexican Cartel War. Mexico is right next door. Cartel violence is driving people to flee to US borders. Fentanyl from Mexico kills American people. Venezuela isn’t a higher priority than Mexican citizens dying at the hands of these gangs of thugs (Council on Foreign Relations).

Is Nicolas Maduro a good guy? Definitely not, he’s a drug dealer and dictator with no regard for human rights. Why did Trump, with the support of the stacked SCOTUS, repeal protection for Venezuelans in the United States in October of 2025? He was deporting them back to the Chavistas.

• Supreme Court allows Trump to strip protections from more than 300,000 Venezuelan migrants –PBS

From January 2021

On October 15th, 2020, DEA agents arrested Mexican General Salvador Cienfuegos, allegedly a member of El Sindicado ( The Syndicate). Military officers with overwhelming influence that supposedly “tolerate” the elected government.

US agents had determined that he was “El Padrino” of the H-2 Cartel. He was in charge of the government’s anti drug cartel effort and at the same time running a cartel. How convenient. It’s a similar situation to that of Genaro Garcia Luna who was the Mexican Secretary of Public Security. He accepted bribes from Jesus Zambada García, El Chapo’s brother, to the tune of $6 million.

The US held Cienfuegos until the 18th when, by request of the Mexican government, Donald Trump‘s Attorney General William Barr dropped the charges and handed him off to Mexican authorities. Barr said he was promised the investigation would continue by the Mexican government.

In late December the Mexican government moved to restrict DEA agents immunity while operating in their borders. This action ended the long standing cooperative effort of the US and Mexico in the fight against drug cartels.

On the 14th of January, the Mexican government exonerated him of all charges (New York Times). This was an “unexpected” about face from their promise the general would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. In a statement on Friday, the Justice Department said, “The United States reserves the right to recommence its prosecution of Cienfuegos if the Government of Mexico fails to do so.” They failed to do so. We have yet to see Cienfuegos face justice.