DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s intelligence community has achieved a groundbreaking victory against Mexican cartels, successfully deploying counterterrorism resources to capture a high-value Sinaloa Cartel plaza boss in an operation that marks a historic shift in America’s fight against drug trafficking organizations.
Story Highlights
- ODNI provided crucial counterterrorism intelligence enabling Mexican authorities to capture Sinaloa Cartel plaza boss “El Pato” Martinez Vera
- Nine-month intelligence operation represents first major application of FTO designation resources against cartel targets
- Trump administration’s February 2025 FTO designation unlocked counterterrorism capabilities previously reserved for ISIS and al-Qaeda
- Operation demonstrates whole-of-government approach coordinating intelligence agencies against transnational criminal organizations
Historic Intelligence Victory Against Cartel Operations
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, under DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s leadership, provided crucial counterterrorism intelligence that enabled Mexican authorities to capture Sinaloa Cartel plaza boss Leonardo Daniel “El Pato” Martinez Vera in Ciudad Juarez on October 15, 2025. This operation followed nine months of intensive intelligence gathering by the National Counterterrorism Center and represents one of the first major arrests utilizing counterterrorism resources against cartel targets following their Foreign Terrorist Organization designation.
FTO Designation Transforms Enforcement Capabilities
President Trump’s February 2025 designation of the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization fundamentally altered the legal and operational framework for targeting cartel operations. This designation allowed deployment of counterterrorism resources previously unavailable for counter-narcotics operations, including sophisticated surveillance capabilities, signals intelligence, and analytical resources traditionally reserved for groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda. The FTO designation enables expanded legal authorities including enhanced asset seizure capabilities and expanded surveillance authorities beyond traditional criminal prosecution frameworks.
Coordinated Intelligence Community Response
NCTC Director Joe Kent emphasized the value of the FTO designation in enabling a “whole-of-government approach” to disrupting cartel operations. The Drug Enforcement Administration has intensified its campaign against Sinaloa Cartel operations throughout 2025, with Administrator Terrance Cole articulating the agency’s “unwavering commitment to destroy the Sinaloa Cartel.” From August 25-29, 2025, coordinated operations resulted in 617 arrests, substantial drug seizures, and confiscation of over $11 million and 420 firearms.
Strategic Impact on Border Security
The “El Pato” arrest follows several high-profile cartel captures in 2025 utilizing enhanced intelligence capabilities. In August 2025, NCTC provided intelligence supporting the arrest of Jaime Rene Huereca Casavantes at the Port of Entry in El Paso, Texas, demonstrating the operational template refined for subsequent operations. Plaza bosses like “El Pato” serve as critical operational commanders controlling geographic territories and managing drug trafficking corridors responsible for coordinating smuggling operations and maintaining territorial control through violence and corruption.
This operational shift represents a fundamental reorientation of intelligence priorities, allocating sophisticated surveillance and analytical resources toward transnational criminal organizations threatening American communities. The characterization of cartels as terrorist organizations rather than criminal enterprises reframes border security priorities and demonstrates the Trump administration’s commitment to protecting American families from the devastating effects of cartel violence and drug trafficking.
Sources:
US Counterterror Intel Helps Mexico Nab Sinaloa Boss ‘El Pato’
$5 Million Reward Offered for Sinaloa Cartel-Linked Drug Trafficker
