The price of cocaine has fallen dramatically thanks to President Trump and Stephen Miller’s anti-immigration efforts.
The Trump administration’s decision to move federal agents away from combating drug trafficking to deporting illegal immigrants has given drug cartels a relatively easy time getting cocaine into the United States, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The widespread availability of high-quality product has driven the price of cocaine to $60 a gram, roughly half of what it was five years ago.
Meanwhile, Americans in the western U.S. are consuming 154% more coke than they were in 2019.
The Journal’s piece details the rise of Nemesio “Mencho” Osegura to becoming Mexico’s top drug kingpin. When the Trump administration cracked down on fentanyl, it focused its efforts on the Sinaloa cartel, which rose to prominence peddling the narcotic. As fentanyl sales have dipped, Osegura’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which trades in cocaine, rose to the top.
Today, @StateDept announces a reward increase of up to $15M for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of CJNG leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, a/k/a “El Mencho.” Information regarding El Mencho should be reported to the DEA. https://t.co/6eU7cUoLEI pic.twitter.com/ukNisDTUyC
— US Dept of State INL (@StateINL) December 4, 2024
Osegura, stationed in the Sierra Madre mountains, has a $15 million bounty on him. He is described by a former interim chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration as “the most powerful drug trafficker operating in the world.”
Despite Osegura’s notoriety, the Journal says the Trump administration gave the kingpin a “gift” by focusing its efforts on its immigration, which have been spearheaded by Miller, the deputy chief of staff for policy.
“The president’s campaign to deport immigrants in the U.S. illegally has taken federal agents away from drug-traffic interdiction,” it says. It describes two Arizona Customs and Border protection checkpoints as “unstaffed,” as the agents stationed there were reassigned to detain migrants.
Over the past two weeks, the Trump administration has attempted to project strength against the drug trade by blowing up two boats off the coast of Venezuela that they stated were carrying drugs. In neither case did the administration present evidence to substantiate those claims.
“BE WARNED — IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU!“, wrote President Trump on Truth Social on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, JD Vance spoke to a crowd that he had a conversation with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in which Hegseth said, “You know what, Mr. Vice President? We don’t see any of these drug boats coming into our country. They’ve completely stopped.” Vance said he responded, “I know why. I would stop too.”
Vance on Trump’s strikes on boats: “I wouldn’t go fishing right now in that area of the world.” pic.twitter.com/YdXmvCkV2B
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 17, 2025
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
The post Trump’s Anti-Immigration Campaign Has Made Cocaine Cheaper appeared first on The Daily Beast.
