Mexico is not the only source of fentanyl, its president said Tuesday at a news conference as part of an anti-drug campaign, just weeks after President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on the drug trade.
“Until now, we haven't discovered that the precursors are arriving because most of the precursors come from Asia and that the whole process is done here in Mexico,” said president Claudia Sheinbaum. “The labs that have been dismantled in our country are mostly for methamphetamine or crystal (meth).”
Sheinbaum emphasized that her government is committed to combating the illegal distribution of drugs. In recent weeks, Mexican authorities have announced several large seizures of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin, as well as chemical precursors. Last month, officials said they had seized more than a ton of fentanyl pills the largest in the country's history.
Scheinbaum said at a press conference that while there is concern about fentanyl in Mexico, the problem is not as widespread as in the United States, where it is linked to tens of thousands of overdose deaths.
Trump, who will begin his second term January 20has said he intends to impose 25% tariffs on Mexican exports if the country fails to stem the flow of drugs and migrants.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration says Mexican cartels are “at the heart” of the synthetic drug crisis in the United States.
The powerful Sinaloa cartel “dominates the fentanyl market through manipulation of the global supply chain and the proliferation of underground fentanyl laboratories in Mexico,” according to the 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment.
The cartel “has been producing massive amounts of fentanyl since at least 2012,” the DEA said.
US Ambassador Ken Salazar said at a press conference on Monday that there is no doubt that the drug was produced in Mexico.
“I know what's going on, that there's fentanyl in Mexico, and I also know it's being produced here,” he said.
In 2024, in an interview with “60 Minutes”, the former president of Mexico Andres Manuel Lopez echoed Scheinbaum's position.
“Fentanyl is produced in the United States, Canada and Mexico. And the chemical precursors come from Asia,” said Manuel Lopez.