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A former Sinaloa cartel kingpin praised President Trump’s war on drugs, claiming the strike that killed 11 suspected traffickers earlier this month sends the right message — as he urged the US to go after the cartel’s money to really hurt the crime organizations.
Margarito “Jay” Flores Jr., who made millions with his twin brother as members of El Chapo’s Sinaloa cartel, backed Trump’s tough stance against drug trafficking in Latin America on Sunday as the only method that will work against the crime syndicates.
“I think the aggressive approach is going to send a strong message to every drug trafficker across Latin America and places like Venezuela that’s used as a transport hub from Mexican cartels and Columbian organizations,” Flores told Fox News.
“…They’re going after everyone,” he added. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a president of a country or a drug trafficker. There’s a lot of fearful drug traffickers.”
“Fox & Friends” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy said that after her interview with Flores, the former kingpin offered his advice on how the Trump administration can deal a decisive blow to the crime syndicates smuggling drugs through the US border.
Flores suggested that because the cartels rely heavily on cash for their operations, the Trump administration needs to step up their security at checkpoints in the southern border to check for hidden cash being smuggled south out of the US, Campos-Duffy said.
That money, he said, is the lifeblood of the criminal enterprise.
The Trump administration has declared its own “War on Drugs,” with the conflict escalating on Sept. 2 when officials authorized an airstrike on an alleged drug trafficking boat traveling in the Caribbean.
The controversial strike killed nearly a dozen people allegedly tied to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, a claim Venezuela’s interior minister had denied, accusing the US of killing a group of citizens.
Following the strike, the US said it would deploy 10 F-35 fight jets to Puerto Rico as part of its drug cartel fight, sources told The Post.
Trump has also threatened to shoot down Venezuelan military planes after two F-16s recently flew over the USS Jason Dunham guided missile destroyer.
The military has deployed at least eight warships to Central America in recent weeks as the president cracks down on the cartel’s activity.
English (US)