Mexican Cartels and U.S. Interior Enforcement

The DEA’s Rocky Mountain Field Division says it seized 8,729,000 fentanyl pills and nearly 3,100 pounds of methamphetamine across Colorado, Utah, Montana and Wyoming in 2025, with officials attributing most of the supply to Mexico’s Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels moving drugs through the southern border into hubs like Denver and Salt Lake City. Colorado recorded its largest meth bust in April — 733 pounds — and its largest one‑time seizure of fentanyl pills in November at 1.7 million pills, which DEA called the sixth‑largest such pill seizure in U.S. history. Special Agent in Charge David Olesky warned the numbers are “absolutely staggering,” noting Colorado’s fentanyl pill seizures rose 76% year‑over‑year and Utah’s pill seizures doubled, and he framed the trend as a “jolt” for residents who may not see themselves as living near the border. Assistant Special Agent in Charge Cesar Avila said the cartels now have a presence in “most, if not all” Wyoming communities and described how bulk loads move north in tractor‑trailers before being broken down and moved by individual drivers and mail shipments. The article also notes that the Trump administration has escalated its declared war on fentanyl with military strikes on suspected smuggling boats and tariff pressure on Mexico and China, while DEA figures already show more than 239,000 fentanyl pills and 10,000 meth pills seized in the region in early 2026.