Mexico Metropolis, Mexico – United States Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar gave a final warning relating to fentanyl manufacturing within the nation as his tenure because the U.S.’ chief diplomat involves an finish whereas the upcoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump prepares the subsequent stage of diplomatic relations with its southern neighbor.
Whereas bidding farewell to his publish, Salazar expressed nice respect for Mexico and its folks. Nonetheless, the seasoned diplomat additionally issued a last warning to the incoming embassy relating to the trafficking of artificial opioids, which has brought on tens of hundreds of deaths within the U.S. and elevated diplomatic tensions between each international locations.
“I do know what’s happening, that there’s fentanyl in Mexico, and I additionally know that it’s produced right here,” stated Salazar throughout his last press convention on January 6.
Salazar’s feedback observe the current face-off between Mexico and The New York Occasions, by which the U.S. publication launched an investigation depicting improvised and home narcotics laboratories in Mexico to provide fentanyl, a declare the Mexican authorities, led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, reviled as an interventionist perspective.
Throughout her morning press convention on January 7, Sheinbaum criticized Salazar following the diplomat’s remarks.
“Effectively, I’d say that over the last time period, there have been disagreements with the ambassador,” she stated. “Someday he applauded them, and the subsequent day he reproved them […] however apart from, the U.S. ambassador has no enterprise opining on a matter that issues Mexico.”
Salazar, who loved an in depth relationship with former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to the dismay of some, had a falling out with the Mexican authorities after criticizing a number of the ex-President’s extra controversial insurance policies such because the reform of the judiciary.
Learn extra: Mexico’s MORENA party passes controversial judicial reform with help from senator accused of corruption
Furthermore, Salazar additionally slammed Mexico’s safety technique to fight drug cartels, which he labeled as a failure.
“Sadly, this coordination has failed within the final 12 months, in nice half as a result of the earlier president didn’t need to obtain assist from the US,” he said in November at a press convention.
For his or her half, the Mexican authorities has rebuffed Salazar’s claims and maintained that fentanyl just isn’t produced in Mexico regardless of information displaying that there have been no less than 26 fentanyl manufacturing amenities in Mexico discovered since 2019.
Fentanyl, which has pushed no less than 100,000 younger adults to their deaths within the U.S., has turn out to be a focus of U.S.-Mexican relations, with U.S. officers pushing for a extra aggressive takedown of drug cartels in Mexico.
Headed by Trump, factions of the U.S. authorities have talked about taking a extra lively position in combating drug trafficking – from Trump’s promised 25% tariffs on all imported items from Mexico if Sheinbaum doesn’t sluggish the move of migrants and medicines into the U.S., to even deploying armed forces inside Mexican territory.
As President Joe Biden’s administration involves an finish on January 20, the U.S. embassy in Mexico is anticipated to welcome its new ambassador, former Inexperienced Beret and CIA official Ronald Johnson.
