The US ramps up pressure on Mexico and Colombia in its new drug control strategy

The Trump administration, determined to relaunch the war on drugs, will increase pressure on Mexico and Colombia to implement tougher and more effective policies, according to its recently published National Drug Control Strategy 2026. The 100+-page document outlines a more aggressive approach to tackle the global drug production, transit, and distribution chains, with several references to these Latin American countries as well as China, India and Canada. The strategy, which Washington describes as a “relentless offense,” calls for stricter measures, particularly in key sectors such as transportation, the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, and logistics.

“The primary, most lethal drug threat to our nation is the flood of synthetic drugs, principally fentanyl and methamphetamine, and the transnational criminal organizations behind it. These criminal organizations purchase precursor chemicals from China and, to a lesser extent, India to produce these poisons on an industrial scale and traffic them across our borders,” the document warns. “This, combined with the persistent and increasing flow of cocaine from South America, forms the baseline of the crisis killing tens of thousands of Americans.”

Mexico, the most critical point

The report identifies Mexico as a key source and transit country for synthetic drugs destined for the United States, particularly fentanyl and methamphetamine. It notes that Mexico has numerous production labs and border tunnels used to smuggle drugs. The document indicates that the U.S. government will cooperate with Mexico in dismantling these labs. It states that Mexico will be prioritized in seizing chemical precursors used in the illicit manufacture of synthetic drugs and reducing production; it also adds that Mexico will be prioritized in eliminating the cartels’ ability to threaten U.S. territory and security through their extraterritorial command and control structures.

The United States, the document states, will use all its “diplomatic, informational, military, and economic tools to cripple their logistics, block and seize their assets, and ensure there are no safe havens for those who poison our people for profit.” It also takes aim at corrupt officials that enable the cartels’ operations—the latter being an aspect to which the Trump Administration has given more emphasis and which has recently strained relations with Mexico, following the accusation against a governor from Morena, the party of President Claudia Sheinbaum, for alleged ties to drug trafficking.

Colombia, again at the center of the agenda

Colombia, as the world’s leading producer of coca leaf and its derivative, cocaine, is designated as a partner from whom Washington will demand measurable results in crop reduction, dismantling of criminal networks, and operational cooperation. The document expressly states that a priority will be for Colombia to reduce coca cultivation and dismantle the criminal networks that thrive on cocaine production.

Bogotá is a long-standing ally of Washington. President Gustavo Petro’s term ends in August, and although he has had all sorts of clashes with Trump, the two leaders sealed a truce at the beginning of the year. The country even suffered the dreaded de-certification by the United States in the fight against drug trafficking last year, but despite this setback, the main aspects of military cooperation have remained intact.

An analysis by the Colombian-American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Colombia) warns that the new strategy returns Colombia to the center of the anti-drug agenda. “Although the document identifies fentanyl and synthetic drugs as the primary threat, Colombia appears as a strategic component because the strategy does not overlook cocaine. In fact, the text states that the persistent and growing flow of cocaine from South America is part of the baseline of the drug crisis affecting the United States,” the analysis finds. Colombia remains the epicenter of cocaine production in the subcontinent, with Venezuela and the Caribbean as transit points.

The analysis also notes a shift in tone, moving from traditional cooperation to a demand for results, as the document introduces a doctrine of responsibility for both countries of origin and transit. For Colombia, therefore, counternarcotics cooperation could become more closely tied to concrete indicators such as crop reduction, the destruction of laboratories, cocaine seizures, and cooperation in intelligence and interdiction.

The main risk for the Colombian government, according to AmCham Colombia, is that Washington will measure the bilateral anti-drug relationship using a verifiable compliance approach. The report emphasizes that this includes sanctions, diplomatic pressure, financial persecution, and the use of national security tools against those who facilitate drug trafficking.

“For Colombia, the document represents a clear signal: the White House wants a tougher, measurable, and results-oriented anti-drug policy,” the analysis concludes. “Colombia will continue to be seen as a strategic partner, but also as a country under evaluation for its role in cocaine production. The bilateral relationship will depend less on rhetoric of historical cooperation and more on verifiable indicators related to coca, cocaine, interdiction, intelligence, and criminal dismantling.”

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