Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum addresses fentanyl production following Trump’s tariff threat
Mexico’s president said Tuesday at a news conference on the country’s anti-drug campaign that Mexico is not the only source of fentanyl, just weeks after President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on drug trafficking.
“So far we have not seen precursors arrive because most of them come from Asia and the entire process is made here in Mexico,” President Claudia Scheinbaum said. “The labs that have been dismantled in our country are primarily methamphetamine or methamphetamine labs.”
Sheinbaum emphasized her administration’s commitment to combating illegal drug distribution. In recent weeks, Mexican authorities have announced several major seizures of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin, and chemical precursors. Officials said last month that a ton of dofentanil pills had been seized The largest in the history of the country.
Scheinbaum told a news conference that while there are concerns about fentanyl in Mexico, the problem is not as widespread as in the United States, where it has caused tens of thousands of drug overdose deaths.
Trump will begin his second term January 20He said he intends to impose a 25% tariff on Mexican exports if Mexico fails to curb the flow of drugs and immigrants.
this U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Calls Mexican drug cartels “at the heart” of the U.S. synthetic drug crisis.
The powerful Sinaloa Cartel “dominated the fentanyl market through manipulation of global supply chains and the proliferation of clandestine fentanyl labs in Mexico,” it said in its 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment.
The DEA said the cartel “has been producing large amounts of fentanyl since at least 2012.”
Outgoing U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar said at a news conference on Monday that he had no doubt the drug was produced in Mexico.
“I know what’s going on, there’s fentanyl in Mexico, and I know it’s produced here,” he said.
Former Mexican president in 2024 interview with “60 Minutes” Andres Manuel Lopez Echoing Sheinbaum’s position.
“Fentanyl is produced in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The chemical precursors come from Asia,” Manuel Lopez said.
