Cartels, Tariffs and Fentanyl, the US-Mexico Border Showdown Investigated | Foreign Correspondent

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 08:56:20 +0000

In a town on the Mexico border, a display of military might is on show. Ten thousand Mexican troops have been deployed to stop the production and export of the deadly drug fentanyl. On the US side, state of the art American armoured vehicles and drones patrol the border wall as part of President Trump’s promised crackdown on drug and people smuggling. Tensions are high in an area controlled by the notorious Sinaloa cartel which is under attack from both sides.

On Foreign Correspondent reporter Natashya Gutierrez goes on patrol to see if the crackdown is working. With inside access to the Mexican police Natashya sees first-hand the methods being used to hunt down the criminals, including a rare look at the maze of tunnels used to smuggle drugs across the border. Under the threat of crippling US tariffs Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum is acting forcefully but she’s also under attack for failing to combat the growing fentanyl crisis in her own country.

0:00 What is Fentanyl, where does it come from and what does it cause?
2:08 Sonora, The border between the US and Mexico
3:26 Nogales, A town where the border wall dominates life for Police and Military
5:44 Why is the Mexican Military involved in fighting crime?
6:10 The lengths Cartels will go to smuggle drugs
7:57 The American response to the Cartels
11:02 Has the increased police and military pressure impacted the Cartels?
13:34 Claudia Sheinbaum and the politics at the heart of the crackdown
16:41 Taking on Trump and will the crackdown work for Mexico?
18:40 In Tijuana we see the effects of the Cartels on Mexico
22:52 Fentanyl is not just an American problem, and the people trying to help.
25:53 The measures people take to get clean from Fentanyl
28:13 Will Fentanyl ever go away?

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