DHS Responds to 'Cartel-Tok' Videos of Drug Smuggling Going Viral
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has responded to viral videos glamorizing cartel activity and drug smuggling, with officials emphasizing the ongoing efforts to crack down on what they call "depraved" criminal networks.
The content, some of which shows what appears to be cocaine being processed and transported, includes footage of what seem to be dismembered limbs, allegedly belonging to a cartel-affiliated smuggler. The videos have drawn widespread attention and alarm, contributing to what online users have dubbed the "Cartel-Tok" trend, where criminal groups glorify cartel life and showcase violent or illegal activity.
"While DHS has not verified the authenticity of the content this particular account has shared, our brave ICE officers, CBP agents and U.S. Coast Guard are working day-in and day-out to protect Americans from the threat of these depraved cartel members who glorify violence," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek.
File photo shows cocaine.
File photo shows cocaine.
AP
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump signed an executive order designating Mexican drug cartels and other Latin American groups as terrorist organizations.
Trump's order says that these groups "threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere."
What To Know
"On day one of his presidency, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. These depraved thugs rape, maim, torture and poison Americans," McLaughlin said.
Dubbed "Cartel-Tok" by social media users, a growing number of videos posted to platforms like TikTok depict people allegedly affiliated with Latin American drug cartels showcasing large drug shipments. Some videos have racked up millions of views.
A TikTok account under the username @$rugcoin has shared several videos depicting what appears to be a drug smuggler with a video caption that reads "POV: You Work for the cartel."
The videos often portray illegal smuggling as daring or heroic, raising fears that they may be influencing young viewers or aiding recruitment efforts by cartels.
One video text caption reads: "Family business on Colombia," and another says: "We are hiring more people."
The account under $RUGCOIN is also promoting a new memecoin project.
DHS has not confirmed whether the people shown in the viral content are actual cartel members.
Arturo Fontes, a retired FBI agent, told Newsweek that the social media videos can "entice" young people.
What People Are Saying
Arturo Fontes, a retired FBI agent, told Newsweek: "These videos glamorize the role of drug dealers and violent crime, particularly appealing to young people—often referred to as "fresas," or middle-class youths—who lack motivation for education or employment. Unfortunately, many of these individuals are disillusioned with the traditional path and are enticed by the allure of fast money, luxurious lifestyles, and superficial beauty without any effort or hard work."
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek: "Under Secretary Noem's leadership, DHS has near complete operational control of the border that the Biden administration recklessly left wide-open for cartels to exploit by trafficking humans and drugs into the U.S. Our personnel will continue to dismantle and disrupt nefarious criminals who pose a threat to the safety of our country."
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USA Today
26 minutes ago
- USA Today
Republicans in Congress head home to angry voters. So much for summer break.
The Jeffrey Epstein case has grown into a full-blown problem for Republicans who were already failing Americans. And that feels like a lose-lose scenario as 2026 midterm elections loom. What are you doing during your summer vacation? U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson apparently plans to spend his six-week break trying to get his story straight about the Epstein files fiasco. That's a daunting challenge for the Republican from Louisiana, who has flip-flopped from calling for "transparency" on the issue to sending the House home early on July 22 to shut down Republican attempts to release those files. But that's life when you unconditionally surrender the Article I powers that the U.S. Constitution grants Congress as a coequal branch of government to a scandal-prone presidency held by Donald Trump. If Johnson's vacation were a scary summer movie, we'd have to call it 'I Know What You Did With the Epstein Files.' 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Newsweek
27 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Putin Loses Influence in Backyard
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Putin also cannot overlook Baku's strategic alliance with Turkey and pushing Russia's relationship with Azerbaijan to breaking point could strain Moscow's ties with Ankara—something the Kremlin can ill afford under current geopolitical conditions, he added. Trade relations between Moscow and Baku are still strong, as is a mutual dependency on energy exports. Linguistic ties are also tight with Russian still widely spoken in Azerbaijan and nearly half (46 percent) of the total volume of remittances paid to Azerbaijan come from Russia, where, according to official data, more than 300,000 Azerbaijanis live. But Aliyev can also benefit from portraying Azerbaijan as a strategic partner of the West in the global confrontation with Russia, especially in the energy sector. "He has a better partnering position and it's more difficult for Russia to punish Aliyev or to escalate their relations too far," said Meister. 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Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Europeans and Iran meet in Istanbul as the return of sanctions looms over nuclear deadlock
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