Trump Administration Reinvigorates War on Drugs | The American Spectator

The Trump administration recently released its National Drug Control Strategy (the Strategy). The Strategy highlights, through tangible and measurable objectives, a vision of the administration to combat illicit drug use in the United States. Among other things, the Strategy focuses on what the administration can do to combat the supply of illicit drugs generated by foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). (RELATED: Overdose Drops: More Policy and Less Politics)

Speaking with The American Spectator, Sara Carter, the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (AKA President Trump’s “Drug Czar”), stated:

With President Trump’s direction, our 2026 National Drug Control Strategy is a roadmap to dismantling, destroying, and financially ruining the FTOs and TCOs that have operated for decades with impunity in our hemisphere … The Strategy sends a clear message to our adversaries that we will no longer allow their poison into our nation for the purpose of killing and destroying our children, families and communities … The cartels now understand that under President Trump, they have no place to hide, as the whole of government is laser-focused on ensuring they no longer have a future.

As top priorities, the Strategy states that the administration will focus on pressuring:

• China to stop the flow of precursor chemicals used to illicitly manufacture synthetic drugs
• Canada to deepen actionable intelligence sharing to target transnational criminal organization operations
• Colombia to reduce coca cultivation and disrupt the criminal networks that thrive on cocaine production
• Mexico to seize precursors and reduce production, and to eliminate cartels’ ability to threaten the territory, safety, and security of the United States through their extraterritorial command-and-control structures
• India to take further action to regulate its pharmaceutical and chemical industries so that it does not supplant China as the preponderant source of chemicals for the production or manufacture of illicit drugs

Other objectives and goals include the following:

1. Combating Foreign Terrorists and Transnational Criminal Organizations

The Strategy aims to secure the global supply chain from foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). To do this, the administration aims to decrease the movement of precursor chemicals and finished drugs through legitimate shipping modalities by increasing the number of chemical and pharmaceutical companies participating in the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) program. (RELATED: Cartel War, American Consequences)

CTPAT is a public-private partnership that strengthens international supply chains by inviting companies to voluntarily implement stringent security measures that lead to prioritized and expedited processing at ports of entry. While in 2024, there were 428 total participating companies, the Strategy targets 445 total participating companies by 2026 and 471 total participating companies by 2029.

Additionally, the Strategy aims to increase the cumulative number of companies participating in international trusted trader programs that have Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) with Customs and Border Protection (CBP). MRAs allow CBP to recognize the security standards of foreign Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programs as equivalent to CTPAT.  In 2024, there were 23,142 companies within foreign AEO programs. The Strategy targets 24,068 companies within foreign AEO programs by 2026, and 25,465 companies within foreign AEO programs by 2029.

2. Stopping the Flow of Illicit Drugs into the US

The Strategy aims to attack foreign drug production at the source by increasing the annual combined number of incidents of precursor and related chemicals, along with related equipment seizures reported in the Precursor Incident Communication System (PICS) by China, Colombia, India, and Mexico. The number of incidents reported annually by these four countries increased from 30 in 2021 to 46 in 2022 before decreasing to 11 in 2024. The strategy hopes to report 48 new incidents combined (12 submissions per country) in 2026, and 208 new incidents combined (52 submissions per country) in 2029.

The Strategy also hopes to secure the U.S. by increasing the weight (in metric tons) of cocaine removed by the Coast Guard that was destined for the U.S. Such Coast Guard seizures decreased from 173.4 metric tons in 2021 to 96.2 metric tons in 2023, before increasing to 106.3 metric tons in 2024. The Strategy hopes to have the Coast Guard seize 210 metric tons of cocaine in 2026, and to maintain that goal in 2029.

The Strategy also aims to increase the weight (in pounds) of illicit drugs seized by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that were destined for the U.S. at ports of entry and between ports of entry. The weight of illicit drug seizures by CBP decreased from 926,414 pounds in 2022 to 807,131 pounds in 2024. The Strategy targets 887,844 total pounds as the goal for such seizures in 2026 and to maintain that goal through 2029.

The Strategy also aims to disrupt domestic drug distribution and to degrade TCO logistics inside the U.S. by increasing the number of drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and money laundering organizations (MLOs) disrupted or dismantled by High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task forces. The number of DTOs and MLOs disrupted or dismantled by HIDTAs decreased from 3,126 in 2021 to 3,038 in 2023 before increasing to 3,209 in 2024. The Strategy sets a goal of 3,337 new organizations disrupted or dismantled in 2026 and 3,530 new organizations disrupted or dismantled in 2029.

Additionally, the Strategy aims to increase the number of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Warning Letters sent to companies selling unauthorized products containing opioids. The number of FDA Warning Letters sent to companies selling unauthorized opioid products has fluctuated between 9 and 17 from 2022 to 2024. The Strategy aims for 13 new FDA Warning Letters in 2026 and 18 new FDA Warning Letters in 2029.

3. Global Campaign Against Transnational Criminal and Foreign Terrorist Threats

The Strategy aims to unify law enforcement and intelligence community efforts against designated TCOs by increasing the percentage of requests for information submitted. Whereas this is a new initiative and no historical data is available, the Strategy targets 90 percent of requests for information responded to by the intelligence community in 2026 and 95 percent of requests for information responded to by the intelligence community in 2029. (RELATED: Violence in Mexico: When Cartels and Terrorists Converge)

The Strategy also aims to systematically dismantle TCO and FTO command and control by increasing the number of individuals arrested on the Consolidated Priority Organization Target (CPOT) List. The number of new individuals arrested on the CPOT list decreased from 24 in 2021 to 5 in 2023 before increasing to 7 in 2024. The Strategy targets 9 new individuals arrested in 2026 and 12 new individuals arrested in 2029.

It also has targets for recovering firearms destined for the TCOs and FTOs, and for sanctioning foreign persons or entities involved in the global illicit drug trade. The number of new persons sanctioned under EO 14059 increased from 25 in 2021 to 192 in 2023 before decreasing to 142 in 2024, and targets 148 newly sanctioned persons in 2026 and 156 newly sanctioned persons in 2029.

The Trump administration’s National Drug Control Strategy aims to achieve tangible victory over the illicit drug supply in the U.S. by striking at the foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations that fund such criminal behavior. By applying pressure on these bad actors, the Trump administration is fighting the enemies of our nation with an aggressive offense. By increasing seizures of criminal enterprises and expanding cooperation with friendly actors, the Strategy’s multi-agency effort of the government is poised to breathe new life into the war on drugs.

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