WASHINGTON/MEXICO CITY, Feb. 22 (GeokHub) — A newly formed U.S. military-led unit quietly played a supporting role in Mexico’s operation against cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” according to U.S. defense officials.
The unit, called the Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel (JITF-CC), has released limited public details about its structure and activities. Its official mission states that it aims to “identify, disrupt, and dismantle cartel operations posing a threat to the United States along the U.S.-Mexico border.”
The task force supported Mexico’s pursuit of Oseguera, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), who was killed during a military raid in Jalisco state.
Applying Counterterrorism Experience to Cartel Networks
Leading JITF-CC is U.S. Brigadier General Maurizio Calabrese, who told Reuters that the U.S. military is drawing on experience gained from combating extremist organizations such as al Qaeda and Islamic State.
“The cartels operate differently than al Qaeda or ISIS, different motivations, which makes it even more important for us to identify entire networks so that we can disrupt and dismantle them,” Calabrese said.
According to Calabrese, cartel leadership structures are relatively small at the top — possibly only a few hundred core members — but supported by vast operational networks.
“You have anywhere from 200,000 to 250,000 independent contractors that will help move these drugs,” he said, highlighting the scale and complexity of the supply chain.
Terrorist Designation Expands U.S. Options
Former senior Drug Enforcement Administration official Jack Riley said the Trump administration’s decision last year to designate certain Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations broadened the legal framework for U.S. military involvement.
The designation allows expanded intelligence-sharing and enhanced surveillance capabilities, Riley said, potentially improving real-time operational awareness.
“Our surveillance capabilities are going to be probably unlimited, and that will really help with real-time stuff,” Riley told Reuters. However, he cautioned that cartel leaders are adept at concealing their movements and internal hierarchies.
Broader Border Strategy Underway
A second U.S. defense official said JITF-CC is part of a wider strategy that has seen the U.S. military assume a more active operational role along the southern border.
That broader approach includes regular maritime interdiction efforts targeting suspected drug-smuggling vessels in Caribbean and Pacific waters. Some of those actions have drawn legal scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers and legal analysts who question their scope and authorization.
“The whole idea of creating an interagency effort is to not have stray voltage — is to bring it all together, synchronize it,” the defense official said, describing the intent behind the task force’s structure.
