Mexico’s drug cartels are so tenacious, so powerful, that under intense pressure, they forge diamonds rather than crumble.

Amid years of bloody turf wars, new tariffs aimed at hitting the global narcotics market and thousands more combat troops at the border, cartels are feeling the pressure.

The result? Two of the most notorious cartels, Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation, have begrudgingly decided to unite and conquer in an unprecedented alliance.

This seismic shift in global organized crime demands that the U.S. urgently rethink its approach. Because this “super-cartel” won’t just be a criminal syndicate trafficking migrants and drugs: It will operate more like a rogue state.

Separately, cartels were already responsible for more than 30,000 deaths annually. Together, they now command fentanyl supply chains, digital surveillance networks and a loyal, militarized workforce across more than 100 countries. A union dramatically escalates their capacity for violence, trafficking and political influence.

Yet U.S. policy continues to treat cartels like street gangs.

President Trump’s recent move to designate them as terrorist organizations made headlines, as did his talk of military action. But threats won't solve this crisis. Trump must take the cartels and their insidious grip on power seriously. We’ve watched “Breaking Bad”; there’s........

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