Drug corruption along the Texas-Mexico border is a significant issue, involving both Mexican 

drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and the occasional corruption of U.S. and Mexican public officials. Federal agencies actively work to combat these criminal enterprises and the corruption they foster. 

Mexican Cartels and DTOs

Mexican DTOs are the primary actors, controlling drug trafficking through northeast Mexico and utilizing the South Texas border as a principal smuggling corridor. They are sophisticated organizations engaged in a range of criminal activities including: 

• Drug Trafficking: Abundant supplies of illicit drugs produced in Mexico, particularly fentanyl and methamphetamine, dominate the market. Most illicit fentanyl is smuggled through official land ports of entry (POEs), often in hidden compartments in vehicles, and mostly by U.S. citizens.
• Violence and Intimidation: Cartels target Mexican law enforcement and military personnel, and their activities contribute to violent crimes (extortion, murder, assault) to protect their operations.
• Human Smuggling and Other Crimes: DTOs are also involved in human smuggling, money laundering, and the illegal trafficking of weapons and ammunition from the U.S. into Mexico. 

Corruption of Public Officials

Corruption is a critical component that allows these operations to continue.

• Mexican Officials: Historically, there have been high-profile cases of corruption involving top-tier Mexican officials. For example, Mexico’s former security minister, Genaro García Luna, was convicted in the U.S. in 2023 for accepting millions in bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel while in office.
• U.S. Officials: While the vast majority of U.S. border agents are committed professionals, instances of corruption occur. Cases have emerged where U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and Border Patrol agents have taken bribes to allow drug-filled vehicles to pass through checkpoints, provide real-time information to traffickers, or give cartels keys to border fences. Such actions are met with severe penalties and legal action by U.S. authorities. 

Law Enforcement Response

Federal, state, and local agencies coordinate on task forces, such as the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, to combat this corruption and trafficking. 

Key strategies include:

• Joint Operations: Collaborative efforts with Mexican law enforcement are crucial, though sometimes met with mistrust.
• Task Forces and Investigations: Agencies like the FBI, DEA, and Homeland Security Investigations focus on targeting the command-and-control structures of DTOs and prosecuting corrupt officials.
• Technology: Enhanced border security measures include physical barriers, surveillance technology like cameras and sensors, and tunnel detection programs to interdict illicit movement.
• Prosecution: Drug trafficking is one of the most prosecuted crimes in federal judicial districts along the southern border. 

Information on federal efforts can be found on the Department of Justice, FBI, and DEA websites.

Drug corruption along the Texas-Mexico border involves significant efforts by Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) to bribe and leverage U.S. and Mexican public officials, as well as the ongoing activity of law enforcement agencies in combating these illicit operations and the internal corruption that occasionally arises within their ranks. 

Key aspects of drug corruption and trafficking in the region include:

Corruption of Border Officials

Mexican cartels actively attempt to corrupt U.S. border agents to facilitate smuggling operations. 

• Bribery and Collusion: There have been numerous cases of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and Border Patrol agents being arrested and convicted for accepting bribes to allow drug-filled vehicles or human smugglers to cross into the U.S..
• Insider Information: Corrupt agents have provided traffickers with sensitive, real-time information, such as whether drug-sniffing dogs were on duty or the keys to border fences, to ensure successful smuggling runs. 

Drug Trafficking Landscape

The South Texas border area is a primary drug smuggling corridor. 

• Dominant Drugs: While marijuana was historically the most seized drug, there has been a significant shift towards synthetic drugs, particularly fentanyl and methamphetamine. Fentanyl seizures at the southern border increased by 480% between FY 2020 and FY 2023.
• Smuggling Methods: Most illicit drugs, especially fentanyl, are smuggled through official U.S. ports of entry, often hidden in vehicle compartments, rather than between ports of entry. U.S. citizens are often the primary individuals caught trafficking fentanyl at these ports. 

Law Enforcement Response

Federal, state, and local agencies coordinate on task forces to disrupt drug trafficking and public corruption. 

• Joint Operations: Agencies such as the FBI, DEA, and Homeland Security are part of task forces like the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) in South Texas, which targets drug trafficking organizations, money laundering, and public corruption.
• High-Profile Cases: Recent law enforcement actions have resulted in the sentencing of high-ranking cartel members and the arrest and conviction of numerous corrupt officials on both sides of the border.
• International Cooperation: The U.S. Justice Department works with Mexican law enforcement to secure the extradition and prosecution of major drug traffickers. 

Impact on the Border Region

The widespread drug trafficking contributes to crime within the South Texas border area, including assault, automobile theft, and extortion. While communities in South Texas often have crime rates at or below state and national averages, the violence in northern Mexico remains a significant concern, with cartels targeting law enforcement and military personnel. 

For more information on border security efforts and related enforcement actions, you can visit the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) website or the FBI’s resources on border crime. 

most common drugs smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border and into Texas are currently 

methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana. There has been a notable shift from plant-based drugs like marijuana and heroin to synthetic opioids like fentanyl and methamphetaminein recent years. 

Based on data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) between December 2022 and November 2024, the general breakdown of drugs seized by weight along the entire U.S.-Mexico border was:

• Methamphetamine: 54%
• Marijuana: 22%
• Cocaine: 12%
• Fentanyl: 9%
• Heroin: Less than 0.5% 

Drug Trends in Texas

• Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Dominance:Seizures of fentanyl have risen dramatically, increasing by 480% at the southern border between FY 2020 and FY 2023. Methamphetamineseizures have also generally trended upward, with significant quantities passing through South Texas’s major smuggling corridors like Laredo and the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
• Decline in Marijuana: Due to the legalization and regulation of cannabis in many U.S. states, the incentive to import from Mexico has decreased, leading to a significant decline in marijuanaseizures.
• Smuggling Methods: Most synthetic drugs (fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine) are smuggled through official U.S. ports of entry, often in hidden compartments within vehicles driven by U.S. citizens. Marijuana, the only drug where the majority is seized between official entry points, is typically smuggled by foot or in vehicles across unguarded stretches of the Rio Grande River. 

For more detailed statistics on drug interdictions, you can explore data on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website.

addition to drug trafficking, drug trafficking organizations (DTOs), often referred to as Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs), engage in a wide array of other illicit activities along the Texas-Mexico border to generate revenue, protect their operations, and maintain control

. 

These activities include:

• Human Smuggling and Trafficking: DTOs profit from smuggling migrants across the border. Many migrants who cannot pay the smuggling fee become victims of human trafficking, forced into labor, sex trafficking, or drug smuggling to repay their debt. This has become a multi-billion dollar industry for the cartels.
• Firearms Trafficking (Southbound): Large quantities of firearms and ammunition are smuggled from the United States into Mexico. These weapons are crucial for DTOs to defend their territory, enforce business dealings, intimidate rivals and citizens, and challenge law enforcement.
• Money Laundering: DTOs use various methods to conceal the origins of their illicit profits, which are estimated to be billions of dollars annually. This includes smuggling bulk cash shipments south into Mexico, using stored value cards, and exploiting international banking networks.
• Violence and Enforcement: DTOs use violence for control and discipline. This includes kidnappings, assaults, extortion, and murder. In the U.S., these groups often align with local prison and street gangs to carry out enforcement activities and distribution.
• Extortion: Businesses and individuals on both sides of the border are sometimes targeted for extortion, where DTOs demand payment in exchange for “protection” or to avoid violence.
• Automobile and Property Theft: Vehicles are often stolen to facilitate smuggling operations.
• Public Corruption: DTOs actively attempt to bribe U.S. and Mexican officials to ignore their activities, facilitate border crossings, and provide insider information, which is a major component of their operations.
• Cybercrime and Bank Fraud: Some TCOs have expanded their operations into cybercrime and bank fraud.
• Oil Theft (in Mexico): Cartels in Mexico have been involved in siphoning oil from pipelines, which costs the government’s oil company significant losses. 

These diversified activities allow the DTOs to maximize profits and maintain a dominant presence throughout the border region.