A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle that was set on fire in Cointzio, Mexico, on Feb. 22, 2026, after the Mexican Army killed cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho.” AP Photo/Armando Solis
Commentary
In Canada, cartel activity is framed as a crime problem, a public health problem, or a border problem. Those are real. They are also incomplete. Cartels increasingly resemble criminal regimes that compete with the state for control over markets, territory, and legitimacy. That is why labels like narco-terrorist do not capture the full threat.
