The US government must address the sale of fentanyl on the streets of its cities if it wants to truly tackle the problem of the synthetic drug, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said.
“If the US government wanted to address the serious use of fentanyl in its country, it could, for example, stop the sale of drugs on the streets of major cities and the laundering of money obtained as a result of this illegal activity that has caused so much harm to the population“, Sheinbaum said in X.
This is how she responded to the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on Mexican goods, one of the reasons for which according to the American leader is Mexico's refusal to prevent drug smuggling.
Sheinbaum said the US government could also “launch a major campaign to prevent drug use and take care of its young people“.
“Drug use and distribution is a problem in your country and this public health problem is not being addressed. The epidemic of synthetic opioids in the US has its roots in the indiscriminate prescribing of these types of drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration“, Sheinbaum added.
Trump signed an executive order on Saturday to impose tariffs on goods from Canada, China and Mexico. The document imposes a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada (10% on Canadian energy resources). An additional 10% tariff is imposed on goods from China. Trump said the move was made because of the "serious threat of illegal immigrants and deadly drugs, including fentanyl, that are killing U.S. citizens."