00:00Thank you very much, gentlemen. I appreciate what you do for our country and all those like you out there.
00:07So I want to associate myself with Senator Whitehouse.
00:11I think we need to get to the root cause of funding and all the shadow organizations that actually benefit drug cartels.
00:19You all agree with that, right? The money laundering is real.
00:22Senator Padilla's concerns about drugs, arms coming from America into Mexico, arming the cartels.
00:32That's very real. I'd like to do something about that.
00:36But my question is, do we have a willing partner in Mexico?
00:42The question for me is, is the government of Mexico in charge of their country or is it the cartels?
00:52When it comes to drugs and human trafficking, what would you say, Mr. Stevens?
01:00Thank you for your question, sir.
01:02Currently, Mexico is being a good partner with us.
01:05They've increased our transnational criminal investigative unit footprint there,
01:09which allows us to take investigations that are occurring on U.S. soil and expand them into Mexico, helping us better identify the network.
01:15Why are the cartels so strong in Mexico?
01:17I mean, is it fair to say that their parts of Mexico, they control completely, Mr. Perez?
01:27Thank you, sir.
01:28Again, I'll go back to my earlier comments that there is obviously corruption is prevalent down there.
01:31There's areas where...
01:33How much of Mexico is under cartel control?
01:36I don't have any numbers, sir.
01:38Again, part of our mission down there, sir...
01:4110% of the country, 20% of the country?
01:42I can't comment on that, sir.
01:44I can tell you that part of our mission...
01:45Can you get back with me about it?
01:46Yes, sir.
01:47Mr. Allen, why is it such a problem in Mexico?
01:53You know, you talked about corruption.
01:55Is the government serious about dealing with cartel problems in Mexico?
02:00I think historically that's been one of the biggest obstacles that we faced.
02:04Has it changed dramatically?
02:06We do have optimism that it is changing, sir, yes.
02:08Okay.
02:09Well, that's good.
02:10You'll get back with me.
02:11Do we know where there are fentanyl labs operating today?
02:20I don't have that information with me.
02:22No, I mean, you have to pinpoint, but is it fairly well-known where some of these labs are?
02:28We routinely receive, like, informant information and reliable information.
02:32Is that right, Mr. Stevens?
02:33That tells us where these fentanyl labs are at, yes.
02:35Yes, sir.
02:37I know we have some information.
02:39As I indicated previously, we had one of the largest seizures in Mexico's history of pressed fentanyl of 1.5 tons.
02:47And that was related to information we provided to them.
02:49We've also identified...
02:51You provided it to them.
02:54Yes, that is correct.
02:55Okay.
02:56Mr. Perez, has there ever been a joint operation between the United States and Mexico where we partnered with them and went into Mexico to take down a drug lab?
03:08Yes, sir, I'd say we've partnered with them more in the intelligence piece, obviously, Mexico's...
03:14No, I'm talking about going down and actually taking the thing down.
03:18Where we are physically there conducting operations, sir, I can't...
03:21I'm not familiar with any...
03:23So, how many people a year die from fentanyl poisoning coming from Mexico, Mr. Allen?
03:33Fentanyl poisoning itself, tough to say.
03:36The number of people that passed away in 2023 from drug overdoses and drug poisonings was about 107,000.
03:43Approximately 70% of that is related to fentanyl, sir.
03:45Okay.
03:45So, that's a lot of people, right?
03:47It's more than Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq combined.
03:50Just hear what the gentleman said.
03:53It's more than all those wars combined.
03:59President Trump talked about using military force against drug cartels.
04:05Do you think that would help, Mr. Allen?
04:08Sir, I can only speak for my position as Special Agent in Charge of L.A.
04:11Those are decisions made at the Department of Defense and DAA headquarters that I'm not prepared.
04:15So, he's openly talked about taking down some of these drug cartels and laboratories by using military force.
04:23I would encourage him to keep thinking that way.
04:28Generally speaking, is Mexico the problem or the solution, the government, when it comes to drug cartels?
04:36Mr. Allen?
04:37I think they're in a U.S. position to be both.
04:40Well, generally speaking.
04:42Generally speaking, that's where it comes from, sir.
04:45So, that would be fine.
04:46Mr. Stevens?
04:48I agree with the same comment.
04:50I think they're uniquely positioned to be both.
04:53Are they more the problem or the solution?
04:58I think they can be both.
04:59No, that's not the question.
05:00You've got to pick.
05:05Do you know?
05:06I would say right now they're a solution for us.
05:09They've been actioning our information.
05:10We've provided them.
05:11Okay.
05:11Mr. Perez, do you agree with that?
05:13Yes, sir.
05:14I agree with that.
05:14And their cooperation is the solution.
05:16I will also say that many...
05:18So, you think the Mexican government is providing solutions to the cartel problems?
05:25They are providing solutions.
05:27Yes, sir.
05:27They could provide more.
05:28There's more capacity there.
05:29And we're trying to build on that.
05:30I will also say that members of the Mexican law enforcement have died serving action on
05:35behalf of the United States government.
05:35I appreciate that.
05:36So, we had testimony about a month ago, quite the opposite.
05:39It just seems to me that they're mostly the problem, not the solution, because there's
05:46so many of these organizations operating out in the open.
05:49They literally have control of large parts of Mexico.
05:53So, I'm glad to hear they're doing better.
05:56But from my point of view, they're not doing enough.
05:59Senator Schiff, then Brett.
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