Felipe Calderón on Drug Cartels

Felipe Calderón's core position regarding drug cartels was one of direct, aggressive confrontation, declaring war on organized crime just ten days after taking office in December 2006. This administration centered its security policy on a massive militarization effort, deploying tens of thousands of military personnel to supplement or replace local police forces widely viewed as compromised by corruption. The centerpiece of his tenure was a decapitation strategy, which, according to government reports, resulted in the capture or killing of twenty-five of the top thirty-seven drug kingpins in Mexico during his six-year term. This approach was heavily supported by billions of dollars in U.S. assistance through the Mérida Initiative, focusing on security and counternarcotics aid.

Despite the high-profile success in removing key leaders, the implications of his strategy are widely debated. Critics argue that the intense, militarized crackdown inadvertently fueled greater violence as more fragmented gangs fought for territory, leading to a sharp increase in homicides—over 120,000 were registered during his time in office. Furthermore, the foundation of his security cabinet later faced intense scrutiny, with allegations surfacing that his Secretary of Public Security had direct, corrupt ties to cartels, a situation which the United States was reportedly aware of. His successor adopted a new approach, emphasizing a shift away from the military-heavy focus, though some of Calderón's tactics, like reliance on federal forces, persisted.