Full story
DEA claims spark rift
DEA Administrator Terry Cole said there is a link between Mexican criminal organizations and Mexico’s federal government, arguing that “There is a deadly connection between the cartels and those in public office who enable their operations,” during an official event in Orlando, Florida.
“There is a deadly connection between the cartels and those in public office who enable their operations”
Cole said the DEA’s priority is targeting those who facilitate and protect drug trafficking networks, and the DEA reported seizing 568 million doses of fentanyl in recent months.
Mexico’s Security Cabinet responded Tuesday in a statement posted on social media, saying Cole’s remarks were allegations unsupported by evidence or verifiable facts.
The statement said, “These statements lack factual support and do not reflect the publicly available and verifiable results presented by the Government of Mexico in its fight against criminal organizations,” as Mexico released a report of security results to reject claims it protects criminal groups.
Sheinbaum calls it political
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected Cole’s claims in a Wednesday press conference, describing the remarks as “unfortunate” and saying they appeared to be political rather than supported by evidence.
Sheinbaum told reporters that the DEA should focus on combating drug trafficking, distribution, and money laundering within the United States, which she described as the world’s largest market for illicit drugs.
Reuters reported that Sheinbaum said the comments seemed “a very unfortunate statement,” adding, “It seems more like a political statement than one backed by evidence.”
The dispute followed Cole’s Tuesday claim that the Mexican government and cartel networks were “one in the same,” and Mexico’s government issued a formal statement rejecting Cole’s remarks as inconsistent with results of its anti-cartel efforts.
Numbers and prosecutions
Mexico’s federal administration released figures to reject the DEA’s framing, saying authorities have arrested 59,582 people for various criminal offenses and seized 31,366 firearms and 498 metric tons of narcotics during the current administration.
“authorities have arrested 59,582 people for various criminal offenses”
The report said the figures include 2,363 kilograms of fentanyl and more than 5.5 million fentanyl pills, and it said authorities dismantled 2,627 synthetic drug production sites.
It also reported that under Operation Enjambre, 80 public officials have been prosecuted for alleged ties to organized crime, and it said seven sitting mayors are currently facing criminal charges.
The Security Cabinet said the Mexican state does not grant immunity to anyone who commits crimes, while the La Silla Rota account also said the U.S. prosecutor confirmed one investigation involves a sitting Mexican state governor.
