WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, Rep. Eli Crane, (R-Arizona) wrote an op-ed for The Hill about how Mexican cartels really operate. Read highlights of the op-ed below.

“Cartels are ruthless killers. Last month, members of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG) abducted five young men in Mexico and attempted to force them to carry out cartel operations. When the men refused, all five were beheaded. This is a level of evil we haven’t witnessed since the rise of ISIS. Instead of being thousands of miles away, this evil is right here on our border, and should be one of the top priorities of those charged with defending the American homeland.

“The Sinaloa and CJNG cartels are Mexico’s most powerful drug empires. They specialize in manufacturing and distributing illicit drugs, human trafficking and smuggling weapons across the U.S. border. These two cartels are responsible for the vast majority of fentanyl flooding our communities. Fentanyl remains a leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-46. So far in fiscal year 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has seized 24,109 pounds of fentanyl —enough to kill 5.4 billion people.“

Read the full op-ed here.

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