2023-10-21 20:26:02
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican officials visited China this week to address the trafficking of chemical precursors from the Asian country to Mexico, products that are key to the manufacture of drugs such as fentanyl, which then cross Mexico to the United States.
As reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday in a statement, the visit took place from October 16 to 20 and, in addition to members of the Foreign Ministry, members of the Ministry of the Navy, the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic and the Federal Commission for the Protection Against Health Risks (Cofepris).
Mexico did not announce any specific agreement signed with China.
The meeting was the first meeting of the working group created by both countries to increase cooperation in the fight against illegal trafficking of this type of substances, a battle that has become a priority for the United States, which in recent months has increased cooperation with allied countries, as well as sanctions on Mexican and Chinese companies involved in the trafficking of these vital products to manufacture the lethal drug.
Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids killed about 75,000 people from overdoses last year, according to official US figures. In addition, they are one of the main lines of business of the most powerful and violent Mexican cartels in the country.
According to the Foreign Ministry, during the visit to Beijing, Mexico and China “exchanged data and experiences, and areas of bilateral cooperation were identified” in the control of chemical precursors. These substances are often dual-use products that can be used both legal and illegal way to manufacture narcotics.
The Mexican officials were received by Xu Datong, vice minister of the Ministry of Public Security of China, and visited various centers related to the research and control of chemical substances and narcotics.
The increase in fentanyl trafficking was one of the topics addressed at the high-level meeting between Mexican and US officials held on October 5 in Mexico City. At that meeting, the Mexican Foreign Minister, Alicia Bárcena, expressed her country’s “firm commitment” to combat synthetic drug trafficking and indicated that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has instructed his team to provide all the support and collaboration that is needed. require.
The issue has become highly politicized in that country ahead of the 2024 elections and many of the candidates for the Republican presidential candidacy have suggested that they would carry out possible war actions against Mexico to confront the trafficking of this type of drugs.
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