Austin News

China recently denied allegations by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that illegal fentanyl trafficking has been occurring between the two nations.

According to a report by Reuters, the Chinese Foreign Ministry states that the country has had a zero tolerance approach to drug-related crimes and that it is committed to cooperating with the international community to combat the illegal drug trade. The statement emphasized China’s efforts to control the production and export of fentanyl and related substances. The denial is in response to comments made by Obrador, who suggested that China was not doing enough to prevent the illegal flow of fentanyl into Mexico.

“China is providing Mexican drug cartels with the fentanyl used to poison tens of thousands of Americans. China and Mexico must be held accountable,” Victor Avila, HSI-ICE (Homeland Security Investigations-Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) Special Agent tweeted.

According to the AP News, Obrador called on the two countries to work together to battle the drug trafficking operation and reduce demand for illegal drugs. Mexico has become a major transit point for fentanyl, and it is, in turn, smuggled into the U.S. The Mexican government has increased its efforts to fight drug trafficking, but challenges have come up due to corruption, as well as the power of the drug cartels.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that the rate of overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl increased by more than 56% between 2019 and 2020. The number of deaths involving synthetic opioids in 2020 was more than 18 times the amount in 2013. It was reported that more than 56,000 people died from overdoses involving synthetic opioids in 2020. The latest drug overdose death counts through June 2021 suggest an acceleration of overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the CDC.