NW Houston News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Dan Crenshaw hosted Guillermo Lasso, the President of Ecuador, at a roundtable briefing yesterday for the Task Force to Combat Mexican Drug Cartels.

The President of Ecuador spoke on his own country's struggle with cartel violence. The task force gained insight into their firm approach to dismantling these criminal organizations.

"When we came to government in May 2021, the Ecuadorian criminal organizations with strong ties to the Mexican cartels were practically constituted as powerful structures that have used the prisons as centers of operation," said President Lasso. "They are economically strong, they are armed, with materials that surpass the police and have the capacity to co-opt young people."

The task force, led by Chairman Dan Crenshaw, has been tapped by Speaker McCarthy to holistically analyze cartel operations and destroy them. The task force will issue a report, following its conclusion, with legislative recommendations for relevant committees as to the best way to combat cartel activity.

"The Mexican drug cartels represent an existential threat to far too many Americans, and it's no longer acceptable to dismiss them as a simple threat," said Rep. Dan Crenshaw.

For more information on the Task Force to Combat Mexican Drug Cartels, visit:

• https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4195