Harfuch and DEA chief discuss cooperation against criminal networks

Reporting and context

Mexico’s security secretary, Omar García Harfuch, and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration chief Terrance Cole reviewed financial investigations, information sharing and extradition matters in talks on cooperation against organized crime, according to Proyecto Puente.

García Harfuch announced the meeting on X and said it had been planned since late October. The priorities included exchanging information on criminal organizations, addressing outstanding requests for cooperation and following extradition cases through the relevant authorities.

Proyecto Puente reported that García Harfuch also credited coordination between the two countries with contributing to the arrest of Rafael “N,” known as “R2,” in Jalisco. The account gives differing timing descriptions for the meeting: its narrative places it on the Sunday of the arrest, while the reproduced DEA post says Cole met the secretary the previous week. The precise meeting date is therefore unclear in the source.

The DEA described the discussions as productive and said they addressed joint efforts against organizations it calls “narco-terrorist” groups and the corruption that enables them. That terminology reflects the agency’s description.

García Harfuch said both sides agreed on strengthening investigations into violent criminal networks and pursuing priority targets. He also identified stopping illegal weapons trafficking into Mexico, blocking drug-sale proceeds destined for criminal organizations in Mexico and combating drug trafficking into the United States as shared priorities.

He framed the cooperation around respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, shared responsibility, mutual trust and cooperation without subordination. Operations on Mexican territory remain exclusively the responsibility of Mexican authorities within their respective powers, he said.

Original publication: Proyecto Puente.