The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, expressed his intention to establish communication with the Government of China in order to exchange information and prevent the illegal trafficking of fentanyl.
During his morning press conference at the National Palace, López Obrador stated, “We want to establish communication. The most important thing for us is to reach an agreement to exchange information to prevent fentanyl and chemical products coming from China’s ports from reaching Mexico.” He added that he is confident that China will act responsibly and will respond to the friendship and cooperation that exist between the two countries.
These statements by the Mexican president come after he claimed to have “proof” of the arrival of a shipment of this powerful opiate in Mexico, allegedly coming from China, although the Chinese government denies it.
Lopez Obrador has sent two letters to Chinese President Xi Jinping requesting help in addressing this problem. The second letter was sent after the seizure of the shipment. The Secretary of the Navy, José Rafael Ojeda, is in charge of addressing this issue with the Chinese Embassy in Mexico.
The request for help from China comes at a time when the United States has increased pressure on Mexico to stop the illicit trafficking of synthetic opioids, especially fentanyl, due to the crisis facing the North American country with more than 70,000 overdose victims in 2021 alone.
The Mexican government denies that the country produces fentanyl, but the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) claims that it is produced in Mexico using precursor chemicals from China.