The theater of security: this is how Mexico and the United States operate behind the scenes
President Claudia Sheinbaum has just raised the curtain, just a little. Before the Senate, he detailed the existence of four joint security operations with our northern neighbor. They are not theory. They have movie names: Barracuda, Albatros, Neptune and the North American Maritime Security Initiative.
Why this revelation now? The PAN parliamentary question sought concrete commitments. The response came wrapped in principles such as “respect for sovereignty” and “mutual trust.” But between the lines, the message is clear: collaboration continues, although the public discourse is different.
“Efforts were made to intensify the training of the security institutions of both countries to strengthen their capacity to confront criminal organizations,” stated the presidential response.
The numbers behind the curtain
This is where the script gets interesting. Sheinbaum didn’t just name names. It gave results. Figures that paint a silent war at sea.
Operation Albatros, with the US Customs Office, reports for 2024: 11,816 kilos of cocaine intercepted, 11 boats and a semi-submersible captured. There are tons that did not reach the streets.
Neptune, for its part, adds more than 4,000 kilos between 2024 and 2025 so far. Barracuda and the Maritime Initiative complete the picture, focused on the Mexican Pacific and the Caribbean.
These are hard data that contrast with the public narrative of bilateral tensions. While the headlines talk about disagreements, these operations continue their course, coordinated by that little-known entity: the Security Implementation Group.
The Mexican Navy is at the center of this scenario, actively participating in the subgroups of the High Level Group (GANSEG). It is the key piece in this maritime board.
What does this mean for us? That behind the daily political theater, there is a more complex and constant work. One where ships patrol, radios exchange information and tons of cocaine sink into the sea. The show must go on, but now we know a little more about what happens between acts.
