The Merida Initiative

Ed Calderon spent nearly two decades running counter-operations against cartels inside Mexico. He joined Rep. Crenshaw for a wide-ranging conversation about the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels. They talk about how both cartels rose to power, their battle tactics against Mexican police and paramilitary forces, using TikTok to recruit soldiers and traffic victims, their secret occult practices, how they’re infiltrating the United States, what average Mexican citizens think of the cartels, and what the future holds as the ultra-violent Jalisco New Generation makes further gains in territory across Mexico and the United States.

Ed Calderon started his career as a police officer in Tijuana and worked in the fields of counter-narcotics, organized crime investigation, and public safety in the northern border region of Mexico. Today he is a security consultant who has worked with the FBI, Navy SEALs, and special forces groups from around the world. Check out his podcast Manifesto Radio and follow him on Instagram at @manifestoradiopodcast.