The United States imposed sanctions against 15 Mexicans and two companies accused of being part of a network dedicated to trafficking fentanyl into the country, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced this Wednesday, as Washington seeks to intensify its fight against that deadly substance.
“Today, more people between 18 and 49 years old die from fentanyl in the United States than from any other cause,” Yellen justified when explaining the sanctions during an event in Mexico City.
The Treasury sanctions target 15 Mexican citizens and two companies related to the Beltrán Leyva drug trafficking cartel and seek to contain the smuggling of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid.
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This cartel is “very involved in the transportation and distribution” of drugs such as cocaine and fentanyl in the United States, the Treasury indicated.
Yellen will remain in Mexico until Thursday, where she will meet with the president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the Secretary of the Treasury, Rogelio Ramírez, and the governor of the Bank of Mexico (Central), Victoria Rodríguez Ceja.
Yellen’s visit comes after US President Joe Biden and his Mexican counterpart committed last month to working together to confront the fentanyl crisis affecting the United States.
China is also acting against illicit suppliers of chemicals used to produce these drugs, following talks between Biden and President Xi Jinping.
Yellen assured that most of the chemical precursors used come from China and are processed in Mexico before the fentanyl is trafficked to the United States.
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He pointed out illicit drug trafficking as “a significant threat to our national security” and a threat to public safety in Mexico.
This Wednesday, Yellen will meet with Governor Rodríguez Ceja, and will chair a debate on illicit finance with leaders of financial institutions and members of the Association of Mexican Banks.
He will also meet with businessmen to discuss economic opportunities within the framework of binational cooperation.
The United States is renewing efforts to shift supply chains to trusted partners, seeking greater stability amid economic and geopolitical tensions with China.
This year, Mexico became the United States’ largest goods trading partner.
Fuente: AFP.
2023-12-11 15:41:33
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