Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denied again the possibility that fentanyl pills are being produced in Mexico.
During her morning press conference on Jan. 16 Sheinbaum said that authorities were investigating the origin of recent fentanyl seizures in the state of Sinaloa but reiterated that "most fentanyl comes from abroad."
This goes in line to what the Mexican president has said in recent weeks ever since The New York Times published an article detailing how fentanyl is produced in clandestine laboratories across Mexico. When asked by reporters about the origin of fentanyl, Sheinbaum said that "many of the chemical precursors for methamphetamines have different ways to be produced," she said. "Even fentanyl, all those come from out of the country...the vast majority of fentanyl comes from abroad"
But added that authorities are always investigating when seizures take place. "How often fentanyl pills are produced here, that is always investigated," she said.
On Jan. 15, Mexican news outlet Proceso published an interview in which journalist María Scherer Ibarra talked to Ismael "El Mayo" Zamabada, one of the co-founders of the Sinaloa cartel, weeks before he was arrested in New Mexico. In the interview, "El Mayo" said that his clique known as "Los Mayos" did not produce fentanyl, which led reporters to ask Sheinbaum if the drug was being produced by the rival faction known as "Los Chapitos."
"That is something that the security Cabinet needs to inform about as they are the ones with all the knowledge," Sheinbaum said. She highlighted that government officials are always investigating about different methods of drug production but most of the open investigations so far "does not come from federal sources."
She finished by adding that her administration will work alongside the United States not only as a sign of "good neighbors" but also for "humanitarian reasons" as fentanyl keeps on being the cause of death for thousands of Americans each year.
In the past, Sheinbaum has emphasized that the opioid crisis in the U.S. has been "fueled by pharmaceutical companies" and that "there are documents" about it. "We'll boost the campaign against drug addiction, particularly fentanyl, because, fortunately, we don't have an opioid addiction problem in Mexico leading to overdose deaths. It is a problem the U.S. and Canada have," Sheinbaum said.
Originally published for Latin Times
Originally published on IBTimes
