United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinkenannounced this Wednesday that Mexico is a “good example” of cooperation in combating fentanyl trafficking. and he believed that China had taken “important but still insufficient” measures.

According to the Joe Biden administration, Mexican cartels produce this synthetic opioid from chemical precursors that they purchase from China and then transport with it to the United States, a country suffering from the worst opioid crisis in its history.

At a US House committee hearing, Blinken said this was very important. “strengthen” cooperation with US partners to combat illicit trafficking of this substance and emphasized that:

“Mexico is a good example of this”

According to Secretary of State Washington“significantly expanded” cooperation with Mexico in recent years to eliminate drug trafficking.

The sharing of information between both governments has allowed, in Blinken’s words, “the arrest of first and second level participants” in organized crime organizations, as well as arrests. “record amount of fentanyl.”

Similarly, the head of US diplomacy asked Congress to allocate more funds to be able to “deploy the most modern and effective technologies” at the border with Mexico to detect drug trafficking, given that “the vast majority of fentanyl entering the country comes from official ports.” . entrance.

Regarding China, the secretary recalled that both countries have created a working group to address the opioid problem and explained that Beijing has taken “important but still insufficient measures.”

Blinken said the Chinese government should increase arrests and convictions of people involved in the illicit trade in fentanyl precursors and sever financial ties that exist between some chemical companies and Mexican cartels.

Drug overdose deaths in the United States fell 3% last year, from 111,029 in 2022 to 107,543 in 2023, according to official data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

EFE