By John Loftus

Copyright dailycaller

The 80s are back?

Cocaine in the U.S. market is now more affordable than ever while still maintaining high purity levels, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Tuesday. The resurgence of cheap cocaine is due, in large part, to a new Mexican drug lord. Nicknamed “Mencho,” 59-year-old Nemesio Oseguera has quickly become one of the wealthiest and most powerful kingpins in the country, according to WSJ.

Over the past several decades, Oseguera has built up the Jalisco New Generation Cartel into a transnational criminal powerhouse. The organization has become so powerful that it is upending the existing criminal order in Mexico and has overtaken the Sinaloa cartel, which has been weakened by its battle against the Trump administration, as the leading drug syndicate globally, WSJ reported. (RELATED: Feds Arrest ‘Dangerous Sinaloa Cartel Leader’ At Southern Border)

The Sinaloa cartel, once the uncontested leader in fentanyl trafficking in Mexico, has recently faced intense scrutiny from the Trump administration, which has cracked down on synthetic opioids and harshen punishments for drug dealers. The enforcement focus on fentanyl created an opportunity for Jalisco’s coke business, propelling Oseguera to the forefront as the most influential figure in the drug trade.

Across the U.S., cocaine use has surged in recent years. Since 2019, use surged by 154% in the western U.S., and by 19% in the eastern part of the country, according to Millennium Health, a drug-testing company.

Meanwhile, the use of fentanyl in the U.S. has been on a downward trend since mid-2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In July, President Donald Trump signed the HALT Fentanyl Act, a significant legislative measure aimed at intensifying the fight against fentanyl trafficking. The new law categorized all fentanyl analogues as Schedule I substances under federal law, thereby granting law enforcement greater authority to pursue legal action against individuals involved in the distribution and trafficking of synthetic opioids.

Narco-terrorists are enemies of the United States — actively bringing death to our shores. We will stop at nothing to defend our homeland and our citizens. We will track them, kill them, and dismantle their networks throughout our hemisphere — at the times and places of our… https://t.co/abOWXe2afE — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) September 15, 2025

Most recently, U.S. Southern Command conducted another operation Monday against a suspected drug-trafficking vessel originating from Venezuela, resulting in the deaths of the three individuals on board. It was the second such military engagement in the area following Trump’s directive to target Latin American drug cartels, with the military having deployed various resources to the Caribbean as part of the initiative.