Why does America Keep Losing the Same Drug War Over and Over Again?

The U.S. dismantled Colombia’s Cali Cartel with strategy, buy-in, and force. What are we doing wrong now that fentanyl is winning in the U.S.?

Former DEA agent Chris Feistl helped take down one of history’s most powerful cartels—but now he’s watching history repeat itself. 

In this episode, he and Michael Brown draw a straight line from Colombia’s bloody narco-wars to the synthetic opioid crisis destroying American communities. From political division and foreign inaction to fractured law enforcement strategy, the U.S. is reliving the past, without the resolve to win. 

We also discuss:

• How the U.S. let the fentanyl threat evolve into a Hydra
• Why Mexico and China are today’s Colombia
• What America lost when it stopped doing what worked
• How decriminalization and division cripple federal action
• What it would take to end the crisis—for real

Views expressed in this material are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rigaku Analytical Devices.