Change Agents with Andy Stumpf Rocky Mountain Cartels: How Mercenaries Fuel CJNG & Sinaloa Operations
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Feb 25, 2026 Jonathan Pullen, Assistant Chief of Operations for DEA South Central and former special agent who led international drug investigations, breaks down cartel logistics and the fentanyl precursor supply chain. He maps northern and southern smuggling routes. He describes mercenary transport networks, money laundering trends, and risks to tribal communities.
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DEA's Singular Focus On Drug Enforcement
- The DEA is the sole U.S. federal agency focused exclusively on drug enforcement and related crimes like money laundering and chemical flows.
- Jonathan Pullen explains the DEA was created to consolidate drug investigations from multiple agencies and now accepts overlap when it reduces drugs on the street.
How China Controls Shifted The Supply Chain
- China first controlled fentanyl analogs in 2019 which stopped direct fentanyl package shipments, but cartels then sourced precursor chemicals and chemists to Mexico so manufacture continued.
- Pullen notes China scheduled the five main fentanyl precursors recently (2025), and DEA sees that change affecting chemical flow.
Northern Border Is An Emerging Drug Thoroughfare
- The northern U.S. border is a growing drug avenue as Caribbean pressure and southern enforcement push traffickers to use Canada and Canadian gangs.
- Pullen describes Canadian trucking, gangs, and routes from Seattle or via Denver creating new northern flows.