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Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador through the press convention on the Intelligence Middle of the Secretary of Public Safety and Citizen Safety in Mexico Metropolis on March 9.
Luis Barron/Eyepix Group/Future Publishing through Getty Photographs
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Luis Barron/Eyepix Group/Future Publishing through Getty Photographs
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador through the press convention on the Intelligence Middle of the Secretary of Public Safety and Citizen Safety in Mexico Metropolis on March 9.
Luis Barron/Eyepix Group/Future Publishing through Getty Photographs
Republican lawmakers within the U.S. reacted with outrage Friday to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s declare that his nation performs little function within the fentanyl disaster killing tens of hundreds of Individuals yearly.
“Clearly the President of Mexico does not care that 70, 000 folks died of fentanyl overdose in America final 12 months,” mentioned Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida) in an interview with NPR.
“He is allowed his border to be managed by the cartels and he does not care.”
Throughout a prolonged press convention Thursday, López Obrador disputed whether or not Mexico performs a major function in illicit fentanyl trafficking.
“Right here, we don’t produce fentanyl, and we should not have consumption of fentanyl,” López Obrador mentioned.
He additionally blamed the overdose disaster within the U.S. on “social decay” in American society.
“We deeply lament what’s taking place in america – however why do not they struggle the issue … and extra importantly why do not they deal with their youth?”
However most drug coverage specialists and officers with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration say there is not any query Mexican drug cartels are fueling the explosion of lethal fentanyl on American streets.
U.S. regulation enforcement officers say lately, Mexican officers have refused to cooperate on efforts focusing on fentanyl labs inside Mexico.
“We aren’t getting info on fentanyl seizures; we’re not getting info on seizures of precursor chemical compounds,” mentioned DEA chief Anne Milgram throughout a Senate listening to final month.
Obrador’s feedback comply with demand for navy motion by GOP lawmakers
In current days, Republican lawmakers have instructed the dying toll is so dire, U.S. navy ought to play a task inside Mexico serving to disrupt traffickers and drug gangs.
“We will unleash the fury and may of america towards these cartels,” mentioned Sen. Lindsey Graham (Republican – SC) at a press convention Wednesday.
Republicans have additionally referred to as on the U.S. to designate drug cartels as worldwide terrorist organizations.
Throughout his press convention Thursday, López Obrador mocked these proposals as “Robocop” and “authoritarian” pondering.
He mentioned a U.S. navy presence inside his nation would symbolize an unacceptable infringement of Mexican sovereignty.
“We need to be clear about our place,” López Obrador mentioned. “We is not going to enable any international authorities to mingle, and not to mention international armed forces, in our territory.”
Lots of of kilos of fentanyl and meth seized close to Ensenada in October arrive for officers from Mexicos legal professional generals workplace to be unloaded at their headquarter in Tijuana, Mexico, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022. Nobody was arrested in reference to the seizure.
Salwan Georges/The Washington Submit through Getty Photographs
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Salwan Georges/The Washington Submit through Getty Photographs
Lots of of kilos of fentanyl and meth seized close to Ensenada in October arrive for officers from Mexicos legal professional generals workplace to be unloaded at their headquarter in Tijuana, Mexico, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022. Nobody was arrested in reference to the seizure.
Salwan Georges/The Washington Submit through Getty Photographs
In a press release despatched to NPR Friday afternoon, Nationwide Safety Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson mentioned the Biden administration will not be “contemplating navy motion in Mexico.”
Watson mentioned the U.S. and Mexico will “proceed to work this drawback collectively,” including the 2 international locations have “strong regulation enforcement cooperation.”
However whereas López Obrador repeatedly singled out Republican proposals for criticism, his feedback additionally appeared to place him at odds with the Biden administration.
U.S. officers have repeatedly urged Mexico to do extra to focus on fentanyl and methamphetamine labs and cartel operations.
Simply hours earlier than the Mexican president spoke, U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar tweeted that the 2 international locations “should coordinate efforts towards illicit fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking.”
In current days, the Biden administration has begun rolling out extra high-tech surveillance tools at border crossings designed to detect fentanyl.
Throughout his state of the union handle, Biden additionally referred to as for a “surge” alongside the U.S.-Mexico border to cut back fentanyl trafficking.
A name for the U.S. to disrupt fentanyl trafficking even when that impacts ties with Mexico
However many drug coverage specialists query whether or not any of those measures will considerably cut back the provision of fentanyl on American streets.
Most fentanyl is available in by means of authorized ports of entry, smuggled within the roughly 70 million vehicles and vans that transit the border yearly.
Detecting and halting drug shipments hidden amongst that site visitors is a frightening problem.
It is also unclear whether or not the Mexican authorities has the firepower and institutional power to struggle the cartels, that are closely armed and effectively organized.
The depths of the issue had been illustrated simply final month, when the U.S. prosecuted a former high Mexican regulation enforcement official, Genaro Garcia Luna.
Garcia Luna was a accomplice the U.S. trusted within the drug struggle for years however it turned out he was working for one of many main cartels.
Nonetheless, with fentanyl deaths this excessive, there’s strain in Washington, D.C., to do one thing to disrupt fentanyl trafficking, even when it additionally means disrupting commerce and diplomatic ties with Mexico.
“If it means we have to decelerate the crossings on the Southern border, we’ll must decelerate crossings on the Southern border,” mentioned Sen. Scott.
“They’re killing our youngsters. So if meaning we do much less commerce with Mexico, we do much less commerce with Mexico.”
Digital story edited by Maquita Peters.
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