U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently spoke with Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard to discuss the cooperation between the two nations in tackling security issues, specifically the joint effort to stop the production of precursor chemicals use to create fentanyl and other illegal drugs.
Blinken said the U.S. is committed to working with Mexico to protect communities from crime, according to a State Department release. The discussion also included focus on the high level of U.S. delegation to Mexico, which works to bolster law enforcement and citizen security. One specific goal is to disrupt the synthetic drug supply chain and reduce the risk of consuming dangerous drugs.
“Spoke with Mexican Foreign Secretary @m_ebrard on bolstering our security cooperation to combat the illicit production of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs. We value Mexico’s strong partnership as we work to keep our communities safe from criminal networks," Blinken said in a March 14 post on Twitter.
According to a March 8 CNN article, Blinken and Ebrard also addressed the recent kidnapping of U.S. citizens in Matamoros. Four U.S. citizens were kidnapped, with two U.S. citizens and one Mexican citizen killed.
Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown were killed, but Latavia Washington McGee and Eric Williams survived and are at a hospital in Texas being treated, according to CNN.
The group of friends reportedly traveled from South Carolina to Mexico to undergo a medical procedure but never made it to the appointment, CNN reported. They got lost trying to find the medical clinic and could not communicate with the doctor’s office due to bad cell phone reception.
The Americans were shot at when crossing the border and kidnapped by armed men, according to CNN. It is believed by officials they were targeted by a Mexican cartel and mistook for Haitian drug smugglers. The Mexican killed in gunfire was reportedly a woman hit by a stray bullet about a block-and-a-half away, and was described by officials as an innocent bystander.
