Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday credited her government’s anti-drug operations for a 50 per cent drop in U.S. fentanyl seizures at the border between the two countries.
Under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to curb fentanyl trafficking or face steep tariffs, Mexico has showcased a series of major drug discoveries since Sheinbaum took office in October.
The Mexican leader pointed to figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection showing that its fentanyl seizures have roughly halved in recent months from a year earlier.
“The fall in fentanyl [seizures] since October, when we took office, is 50 per cent, as recognized by the U.S. government’s own institutions,” Sheinbaum said at her morning news conference.
“More fentanyl is being seized in Mexico, and it no longer crosses into the United States,” she added.
“It’s not just fentanyl. It’s also methamphetamines.”
Sheinbaum said that more than 1,000 methamphetamine laboratories had been destroyed during her administration, dealing an economic blow of $2.3 billion to organized crime.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says that Mexican cartels are “at the heart” of a synthetic narcotics crisis in the United States.
In response to increased pressure from Trump, Sheinbaum agreed in March to deploy 10,000 more troops to the Mexico–U.S. border to tackle drug smuggling and illegal migration.
Trump insists that Mexico is still not doing enough and has threatened to impose a 30 per cent import tariff on its goods starting on August 1 as part of his global trade war.
Sheinbaum said that her administration was “doing everything” possible to avert the duties and she would speak with Trump next week if necessary to try to reach a deal.
