About this episode

Vince welcomes back Samuel Cooper to discuss the rise of cartel influence in Canada and its implications for North America's security landscape.

On today’s episode, Vince welcomes back Samuel Cooper, Canadian journalist, author, and national security expert who has reported extensively on transnational crime, Mexican cartels, and international intelligence operations. They dive into the recent takedown of El Mencho, the rise of cartel influence in Canada, and what these shifts mean for North America’s security landscape. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Chapters: (00:00) Intro: The Convergence of Crime in Canada (01:03) The Death of El Mencho & Global Cartel Takedowns (03:16) Cartel Operations & Police Corruption in Canada (07:21) The Global Web: Iran, China, & Narco-Terrorism (10:38) 4D Chess: US Strategy & Securing Critical Minerals (17:05) Cognitive Warfare & US-Canada Relations (21:40) Why Canada is the Next Big Security Threat (26:35) The Northern Border Crisis & Human Smuggling (29:41) Ryan Wedding Update & Potential Fallout (34:24) Mexican President Sheinbaum & US Intelligence (38:13) Do the Mexican People Support US Intervention? (40:31) Corrupt Officials & El Mencho's Financial Networks (43:19) Chinese Money Laundering & The Trudeau Meeting (47:12) Future Threats: Drone Warfare & Chinese Bio-Labs Sponsors: 1st…

People in this episode

Host: Vincent 'Rocco' Vargas

Guest: Samuel Cooper

Topics covered

• transnational crime
• Mexican cartels
• international intelligence operations
• cartel influence in Canada
• North America's security landscape
• police corruption
• human smuggling

Keywords

• Canada
• CJNG
• El Mencho
• transnational crime
• cartel operations
• police corruption
• human smuggling
• security threat
• intelligence operations
• drug trafficking

Sponsors

1st Phorm, GHOSTBED

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CJNG, Trudeau

Places: Canada, North America, Great Lakes

More episodes of Borderland: Narcosis with Vincent 'Rocco' Vargas

• Hector Berrellez: The CIA, the Cartels, and the Murder of Kiki Camarena · April 27, 2026 · 39 min
• Sinaloa’s New Structure: Inside a Fragmented Cartel Network · April 20, 2026 · 1h 0m
• National Security Concerns at the Southern Border: Jorge Ventura Reports from Tijuana · April 13, 2026 · 45 min
• Silent Takeover: How China’s Infiltration of Canada Threatens U.S. Security · April 7, 2026 · 1h 10m
• The Cartel Drone Crisis: CJNG Operators Training Abroad and Targeting U.S. Vulnerabilities · March 30, 2026 · 52 min
• CJNG Getting Stronger? The Brutal Reality Inside Mexico’s Worsening Security Crisis · March 23, 2026 · 1h 1m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Borderland: Narcosis with Vincent 'Rocco' Vargas podcast page.