Mexico announces agreement with China and South Korea against fentanyl trafficking

Mexico announced this Friday, May 26, an agreement with China and South Korea to fight against the importation of fentanyl, a synthetic drug that causes tens of thousands of overdoses in the United States.

Plastic bags of Fentanyl are displayed on a table in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection area at the International Mail Facility at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, USA. © REUTERS - JOSHUA LOTT

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With our correspondent in Mexico City, Gwendolina Duval

Mexico, through the public prosecutor, will sign an agreement with the Chinese police, promised Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. And it will do the same with South Korea. He assures that the two Asian countries are willing to collaborate. The idea would be to exchange information on shipping from China to Mexico in order to avoid the arrival of fentanyl on its territory.

With this future agreement, the government hopes to calm the United States a little on this subject. The American neighbor puts strong pressure on Mexico, which it accuses of being the first route of entry of this drug into the United States. The DEA, the US federal agency for combating drug trafficking, accuses a faction of the Sinaloa cartel and sons of El Chapo of being involved in this trafficking between China and Mexico.

The Mexican government has been asking China for help for several weeks now. Beijing has so far been more of a kick in the road, saying there is no fentanyl trafficking in China. But Mexico now says it has evidence: earlier this month, at Pacific coast ports, Mexican authorities seized large quantities of fentanyl and other chemicals in shipments from Asia.

>> Read also: In 2022, the United States seized enough fentanyl to kill all Americans

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  • Mexico
  • United States
  • China
  • Drug
  • Geopolitics of drugs
  • Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador