A significant drug bust has caused ripples in Mexico’s criminal underworld. President Trump has pointed to the illicit distribution of the dangerous opioid fentanyl as a key factor behind his threat to impose a 25% tariff on Mexican goods. However, he decided to postpone the implementation of the tariffs for a month, until early March, following Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s commitment to dispatch an additional 10,000 soldiers to the shared border to combat smuggling activities. Since the deployment commenced on February 5, Mexican authorities have intercepted 4.9 tons of methamphetamine, 453 kilos of cocaine, 55 kilos of fentanyl, and 489 firearms, as reported by the government.
In a separate incident last month, the Mexican government revealed the seizure of 18 kilos of fentanyl concealed in a bus, while in December, it announced a record-breaking interception of over one million fentanyl pills. This synthetic opioid, known for being 50 times more potent than heroin, has been associated with a staggering number of overdose fatalities in the United States. Mexico serves as a primary conduit for trafficking the drug and its precursor chemicals, with a significant portion originating from China, according to U.S. authorities.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has highlighted Mexican cartels as central figures in the synthetic narcotics crisis gripping the United States. The dominant Sinaloa Cartel has been identified as controlling the fentanyl market by manipulating the global supply chain and facilitating the proliferation of clandestine fentanyl labs within Mexico, as outlined in the agency’s 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment. Despite these findings, President Sheinbaum has reiterated that there is no evidence to suggest local production of fentanyl in Mexico.
Recently, Sheinbaum cautioned U.S. firearms manufacturers about potential legal consequences if the U.S. government designates Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations. She emphasized that if such a classification is made, Mexico would expand its legal actions against these criminal groups and could implicate gunmakers as accomplices. Sheinbaum made these statements during a routine press briefing.
A visual depiction shows sacks piled up at a location that previously functioned as laboratories, precursor storage sites, and warehouses during a military operation by Mexican forces, resulting in the confiscation of over 4 metric tons of methamphetamines in the community of Higueras de Abuya, located in Sinaloa, Mexico on February 16, 2025. Jesus Bustamante from REUTERS captured the image.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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