Cherkaoui Roudani
Over President Donald Trump’s second term, the United States has embarked on an unprecedented tightening of its counter-narcotics policy, elevating it into a central instrument of diplomatic, legal and coercive pressure. This doctrinal shift now goes well beyond domestic security concerns and is embedded within a broader framework of strategic protection tied directly to US national security. The Presidential Determination on Major Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing Countries for Fiscal Year 2026, published in September 2025, represents the most explicit expression of this approach. By identifying twenty-three states considered major hubs of drug production or transit threatening US security, Washington has placed counter-narcotics and anti-money-laundering efforts among its top strategic priorities.
Beyond the Western Hemisphere countries traditionally associated with the drug trade, notably Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela, the document expands its focus to include several nations in Central America and the Caribbean, as well as extra-regional actors in Asia. This expansion reflects a strategic reading of transnational criminal ecosystems structured around major organizations and cartels such as the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the Clan del Golfo and the Tren de Aragua, whose operational reach extends far beyond national and regional boundaries.
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