Granting Letters of Marque and Reprisal to Combat Gangs and Cartels

Sen. Mike Lee proposes granting letters of marque and reprisal to civilians to combat violent gangs and drug cartels with pirate ships and along the border. This historical concept would allow privateers to attack enemies with government permission.

Letters of Marque and Reprisal for Combating Mexican Drug Cartels

Erik Prince, founder of Unplugged Technologies, discussed using Letters of Marque to combat Mexican drug cartels by authorizing private citizens to act like privateers. The process of issuing a Letter of Marque could be done by the White House or Congress. Prince believes this approach could help solve the problem of drug cartels operating in 'dead spaces' between government bureaucracies.