3 weeks ago
- The caput of Mexico’s Criminal Investigation Agency has apologized for his connection characterizing Mexico arsenic "the champion" of fentanyl production.
- His comments contradicted President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's erstwhile denial of fentanyl accumulation successful Mexico.
- Mexico has seen important seizures of methamphetamine, including a caller 1 successful Quiriego, Sonora, wherever complete 45 tons were confiscated.
The caput of Mexico’s detective work apologized Thursday for saying his state is "the champion" of fentanyl and meth production.
The comments Tuesday by Felipe de Jesus Gallo, nan caput of Mexico’s Criminal Investigation Agency, appeared to contradict past statements by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has denied immoderate fentanyl is produced successful Mexico.
Gallo's agency cited a study of nan comments by The Associated Press, and acknowledged that Gallo "used an inadequate word," but didn't specify whether nan offending connection was "champion."
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"It is clear that this word, which was reported by AP and a Mexican media outlet, was inadequate," his agency said. "For that reason, Mr. Gallo publically apologizes, and explains that his intent, successful which he intelligibly shouldn't person utilized nan word, was to stress nan agelong conflict that our state has had to transportation retired against nan production, export and shipment of synthetic drugs."
Workers unpack medicine astatine a "mega-pharmacy" storage connected its inauguration time successful Huehuetoca, Mexico, connected Dec. 29, 2023. The caput of Mexico’s detective work apologized connected Thursday for saying his state is "the champion" of fentanyl and meth production. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)
Gallo's comments astatine a U.S.-Mexico convention connected synthetic narcotics successful Mexico City Tuesday drew López Obrador's ire astatine his regular news briefing Thursday.
The president has agelong claimed that Mexican cartels only property it into pills aliases adhd finishing touches, and he demanded that Gallo's agency explicate nan comments, calling them "alarmist."
Gallo primitively said that since nan 1990s "Mexico has been nan champion of methamphetamine production, and now fentanyl."
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Experts work together that cartels successful Mexico usage precursor chemicals from China and India to make nan synthetic opioid and smuggle it into nan United States, wherever it causes astir 70,000 overdose deaths annually.
While fentanyl is not wide abused successful Mexico, methamphetamine addiction is commonplace.
Gallo said Mexican cartels person launched industrial-scale accumulation of meth successful galore states passim nan state and now export the drug astir nan world.
"Believe me, methamphetamine accumulation has go industrialized, it’s not conscionable successful nan mountains anymore," Gallo said. "We now expect to spot (drug) laboratories not conscionable successful nan mountains of Sinaloa and Sonora, but successful Hidalgo arsenic well, Puebla, and besides successful Jalisco."
He was apparently referring to thousands of supplier labs detected successful erstwhile years successful nan hills and scrublands astir Culiacan, nan superior of nan bluish authorities of Sinaloa. Those clandestine, agrarian accumulation sites were often bare-bones, improvised labs covered pinch character branches and tarpaulins.
Now, nan meth waste and acquisition has go truthful lucrative and truthful blase that Mexican meth is exported arsenic acold distant arsenic Hong Kong aliases Australia, and nan cartels person recovered ways to debar discovery of their supplier money.
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There is small mobility that supplier accumulation goes connected astatine a immense standard successful Mexico.
In February, Mexico’s Navy seized complete 45 tons of methamphetamine astatine nan biggest supplier laboratory recovered during nan existent administration. The laboratory was successful Quiriego, a township successful a distant portion of nan bluish separator authorities of Sonora.
The 91,000 pounds of meth recovered location was much than half of nan 162,000 pounds of nan supplier Mexico has seized truthful acold this year.
Fentanyl accumulation is besides huge, though because it is simply a much potent drug, nan measurement is smaller.
A twelvemonth ago, soldiers seized much than a half-million fentanyl pills successful Culiacan successful what nan service astatine nan clip described arsenic nan largest synthetic supplier laboratory recovered to date.
Soldiers recovered almost 630,000 pills that appeared to incorporate fentanyl, the army said. They besides reported seizing 282 pounds of powdered fentanyl and astir 220 pounds of suspected methamphetamine.
