Return of Cheap Cocaine in the US
It seems like we’re seeing a blast from the past—cocaine prices in the US are dropping, but purity levels remain high, as reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). This resurgence is significantly linked to Nemesio Oseguera, a 59-year-old drug lord from New Mexico, who has become one of the wealthiest and most powerful figures in the drug trade.
Over the years, Oseguera has transformed the Jalisco cartel into a formidable force, effectively dismantling the old criminal hierarchy in Mexico and overpowering the Sinaloa cartel, which was once the undisputed leader in the fentanyl market. It’s interesting, really, how the landscape of drug trafficking can shift so dramatically.
The Sinaloa Cartel had previously faced heavy scrutiny from the Trump administration, which focused on cracking down on synthetic opioids. The intense pressure created a vacuum that really helped boost Jalisco’s cocaine operations, pushing Oseguera into a prominent position.
Derek Marz, the former interim chief of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), mentioned to WSJ that Oseguera, often called “Mencho,” is a remarkably powerful drug trafficker. He noted that the current trend is leaning more towards cocaine distribution in the US.
Recent statistics indicate a rise in cocaine usage across the country. Since 2019, Western states have experienced a 154% increase in use, while the East has seen a 19% uptick, according to Millennium Health, a drug testing company. Meanwhile, something a bit ironic is that fentanyl usage has been declining since mid-2023, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In July, President Trump enacted the Stop Fentanyl Act, which aims to bolster efforts against fentanyl trafficking. Under this new law, all fentanyl analogs now fall under Schedule I substances, providing law enforcement with more tools to tackle those involved in distributing synthetic opioids.
Just recently, the US Southern Command executed another operation targeting a vessel suspected of trafficking from Venezuela, which led to the death of three individuals on board. This was part of a broader military initiative directed by Trump to dismantle drug cartels in Latin America, using various resources deployed in the Caribbean.
