Operation Take Back America Scores Big, Beautiful Drug Busts

In a Friday editorial published on Fox News's website, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Acting Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Robert Murphy presented details of several major drug busts realized in the execution of the Trump administration's "Operation Take Back America."

This operation is aimed directly at the cartels responsible for much of the drug trafficking into the United States.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and its Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are dedicated to upholding the rule of law and championing the safety of the American people against deadly, illegal drugs. No drug continues to pose a greater threat to our nation than fentanyl — a synthetic opioid so powerful, deadly and pervasive that it is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45. But we cannot ignore the growing supply of highly addictive and dangerous methamphetamine.
The Mexican cartels have created a vast global supply chain, sourcing precursor chemicals from countries like China, manufacturing fentanyl and methamphetamine in secret labs in Mexico, and smuggling them across the border into the United States. These drugs are flooding our communities, and their impact is catastrophic. Current CDC data estimates that 82,000 Americans died from drug overdoses last year — nearly 49,000 from fentanyl and more than 30,000 from psychostimulants, including meth.

The AG and Administrator Murphy present a few specific busts:

In Lexington County, South Carolina, DEA, in coordination with its state and local partners, seized 156 pounds of fentanyl, 44 pounds of methamphetamine, a firearm, and bulk currency from a previously deported foreign national.
In Fresno, California, DEA and its federal, state, and local partners seized 24 pounds of carfentanil disguised as real prescription pills — the largest DEA seizure to date of carfentanil in Northern California.
In Galveston, Texas, DEA, in close coordination with its federal partners at CBP, helped uncover over 1,700 pounds of methamphetamine — worth more than $15 million dollars — hidden inside a vehicle.

These operations will pay dividends, no doubt. Just the few specific busts described here represent drugs with street values of millions, and that's hitting the cartels in their bank accounts. More to the point, it's getting these drugs off the streets, no doubt saving lives. Between this and closing the borders, the Trump administration is putting a dent in the cartels' operations.

'We Were Being Gaslit': Parents Who Lost Kids to Fentanyl Slam Biden and His Administration

To resolve this permanently, however, the demand side has to be addressed as well. Granted, after four years of non-enforcement of the border by the Biden administration, there are a lot of drug supply chains to be cut, and as we see here, the DEA is doing benchmark work in this. But reducing demand is essential as well. Education, treatment programs, mandatory rehab for addicts, and yes, legal penalties for drug users can all be a part of this.

If there is to be a Phase 2 of federal initiatives like Operation Take Back America, the demand side will have to be addressed as well. This spills over into many different areas: Our major cities' problems with homeless encampments are largely driven by addiction. Petty crime is often committed by addicts looking for an easy score. Addiction isn't tied to any one demographic, to any one income level, to any one group, period.

The Trump administration is right to go after the supply, and more importantly, to target the cartels. But any long-term solution will have to include the demand side as well. Fortunately, there are tools for that: rehabilitation (involuntary if necessary) and cleanup of the homeless enclaves, to start with.

AG Bondi and Administrator Murphy are right to count coup in these drug busts. Even so, to end this once and for all and to break the cartels for good, we'll have to deal with the demand side.

Every single day, here at RedState, we will stand up and FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT against the radical left and deliver the conservative reporting our readers deserve.

Help us continue to tell the truth about the Trump administration and its major wins. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.