Challenges in Collecting and Utilizing Intelligence on Transnational Criminal Organizations

The southern border is a hotbed of illegal activity, facilitated by transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). Collecting and effectively utilizing intelligence to combat this problem faces several barriers, according to Alan Berson, former Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security. While a significant amount of information is generated about Mexico's narcotics trafficking, the challenge lies in how the information is used and coordinated. The Kingpin strategy, focused on targeting TCO leadership, resulted in capturing and prosecuting many key figures, but it failed to dismantle the organizations. As a result, new leadership emerged and the drug trade continued. Berson believes that the war on drugs, framed as it has been for the past 50 years, has not succeeded in curbing the power and influence of TCOs.