Mexican troops seized more than a ton of fentanyl pills, one of the largest synthetic opioid seizures in the country’s history, during two raids on Tuesday, officials said.
The raid comes after a sharp drop in fentanyl seizures in Mexico this year and days after President-elect Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods. Trump said the tax is about preventing illegal immigration and drugs entering the United States from its neighbors.
Mexican authorities said the military and police saw two men with guns on Tuesday in Sinaloa, the region where the drug cartel is based.
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Mexican soldiers and police patrol in Culiacan, Sinaloa. (AP Photo/Martin Urista)
During the chase, the men ran into two houses. About 660 kilograms of fentanyl were found in one of the houses and a truck in the other had a mark of 1,750 of the drug. Many guns were also taken, and two men were arrested.
“In Sinaloa, we have achieved the greatest shock in the history of fentanyl,” Public Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch wrote on social media.
On Wednesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said, “This is an investigation that has been going on for some time, and yesterday it bore fruit.
The reason for the drug seizure – the random observation of two men with weapons – has been used by Mexican authorities to enter homes without permission.
Fentanyl seizures in Mexico dropped significantly earlier this year, with a few ounces seized by authorities at points last summer.
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President Claudia Sheinbaum and President-elect Trump (Getty Images)
Mexican drug cartels produce fentanyl using precursors from China, then smuggle it into the US, where it causes more than 70,000 deaths a year, experts say.
Trump urged Mexico to crack down on drug trafficking. He also threatened to impose an additional 10% tariff on China for the flow of fentanyl to the US.
News of the seizure came when the US State Department announced on Wednesday that it would increase the reward for Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, from $10 million to $15 million. Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” is the founder and current leader of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), a violent drug cartel responsible for the trafficking of fentanyl and other illegal drugs in the US.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Friday to discuss topics such as the economy, illegal immigration and the proposed 25% tariff. (Justin Trudeau X)
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In response to threatening tariffs, Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau both spoke to Trump. Sheinbaum and Trump spoke by phone during a “productive” conversation. Trudea said this money will kill her country’s economy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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