As the year 2023 draws to a close, border threat experts highlight the ongoing tension between the United States and Mexico as a significant issue. This tension, they argue, is adversely affecting the fight against fentanyl. While there have been instances of collaboration between the two countries in combating drug cartels, there have also been moments of strain that could potentially exacerbate both the border situation and the fentanyl crisis.
According to Insight Crime, a notable incident occurred in April when U.S. officials announced charges against two dozen suspected members of the Sinaloa Cartel's Los Chapitos faction. However, shortly after these charges were announced, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador accused the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of overstepping its jurisdiction with regard to Mexican affairs.
López Obrador has largely downplayed Mexico’s role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis. As recently as March, he stated that Mexico neither consumes nor produces fentanyl, according to AP News. Despite substantial evidence contradicting this claim at the time, it has since been disproven and Mexican officials have revised their stance.
Drug trafficking has long been a contentious issue between Mexico and the United States, particularly concerning anti-narcotics cooperation. According to InSight Crime, some individuals in the United States - including politicians - believe that direct military action is required to combat Mexican drug cartels.
The fentanyl crisis in the United States has only heightened these tensions. InSight Crime reports that over 110,000 Americans died from overdose deaths in 2022 alone; approximately 75% of these deaths were attributed to fentanyl by the CDC. The number of synthetic opioid-related deaths in America has risen exponentially within just a few years and it is not expected that final figures for 2023 will show any significant decrease.
Despite these challenges in U.S.-Mexico relations regarding drug cartels and illicit fentanyl, there are indications of progress. For instance, in 2023 the presidents of Canada, Mexico, and the United States established the Trilateral Fentanyl Committee. This group brings together officials from all three countries to collaborate on combating fentanyl. In November, President Joe Biden and López Obrador held a meeting to reaffirm their commitment to addressing the fentanyl crisis, as reported by InSight Crime.
Furthermore, Ovidio Guzmán López, one of the leaders of Los Chapitos, was extradited from Mexico to the United States in September to face trial for fentanyl trafficking. As reported in a previous article by Federal Newswire, his expedited extradition is seen as a potential sign that law enforcement agencies in both countries are intensifying their efforts against fentanyl trafficking.
