Mexico Authorities seize more than 400,000 fentanyl tablets
In Mexico, the Attorney General's Office has confiscated and destroyed more than 400,000 tablets containing the painkiller fentanyl. The same was done with six tons of chemical precursors for the drug, the authorities said on Wednesday.
26.12.2024, 03:55
SDA
The narcotics were seized during several operations in the western Mexican state of Jalisco, where the powerful New Generation drug cartel operates.
Among other things, the authorities seized "416,751 tablets and 6.9 kilograms of fentanyl" as well as six tons of various chemical precursors, it said. Everything had been destroyed.
Before US President-elect Donald Trump took office in January, Mexico stepped up its operations against the trade in synthetic narcotics, particularly fentanyl. On his first day in office, the Republican announced an aggressive trade policy with high tariffs against neighboring countries Canada and Mexico as well as its biggest rival China. He linked the announced tariff increases with the demand for the three countries to stop drug smuggling and illegal migration to the USA.
In the USA, around 75,000 people die from fentanyl overdoses every year. The opioid is often produced in Mexico and smuggled into the USA from there using chemical substances manufactured primarily in China.
