Total Elimination of Cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations

by Pam Bondi

On January 20, 2025, President Trump directed the federal government to revise existing national security and counter-narcotics strategies to pursue total elimination of Cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). This policy requires a fundamental change in mindset and approach. We must do more than try to mitigate the enormous harms these groups cause in America. It is not enough to stem the tide of deadly poisons, such as fentanyl, that these groups distribute in our homeland. Rather, we must harness the resources of the Department of Justice and empower federal prosecutors throughout the country to work urgently with the Department of Homeland Security and other parts of the government toward the goal of eliminating these threats to U.S. sovereignty. This memorandum sets forth directives and initiatives to promptly commence those efforts.

I. Charging Priorities Achieving total elimination of Cartels and TCOs will require additional resources and thoughtful charging decisions by federal prosecutors based on coordination with law enforcement partners. For leaders and managers of Cartels and TCOs, the most serious, readily provable offenses under the Department's general charging policy will typically include capital crimes, terrorism charges, racketeering charges, Continuing Criminal Enterprise offenses under 21 U.S.C. § 848, violations of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act under 21 U.S.C. § 1906, violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act under 50 U.S.C. § 1705 (IEEPA), and machinegun charges under 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(l)(B)(ii) and 924(0).

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