Trump threatens Mexico with sanctions if it does not do ‘more’ against drug trafficking.

Donald Trump once again launched himself against Mexico, now threatening ‘sanctions’ if the Mexican government does not do ‘more’ to combat drug trafficking and asked López Obrador to ‘disrupt criminal organizations’

UNITED STATES (Times Media Mexico) – Donald Trump threatened to penalize Mexico if it does not combat drug trafficking.

“Unless the Mexican government demonstrates substantial progress in the next year backed by verifiable data, Mexico will run a serious risk of finding that it has not demonstrably complied with its international drug control commitments,” Trump said in a memorandum published by the White House.

Trump had already warned the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador in 2019 that he would consider decertifying Mexico in its fight against drugs, which implies a cessation of financial assistance and Washington’s support in international organizations.

According to US agencies, Mexico is the source of nearly all the heroin and methamphetamine seized in the United States and a transit route for most of the cocaine available in the country.

Trump acknowledged that after his exhortation a year ago, Mexico approved “successfully” reforms for the confiscation of assets, increased the extraditions of drug traffickers to the United States, produced the first study in 17 years on the cultivation of poppies (raw material for heroin ), and developed an anti-drug strategy.

But he noted that “while these are signs of progress, more must be done.”

Therefore, he urged the López Obrador government to disrupt criminal organizations, continue extraditing their members, increases drug confiscations, and implement an alternative sustainable development program to eradicate poppy cultivation.

He also urged him to halt the alarming trend towards the production in his territory of fentanyl, the primary drug linked to overdose deaths in the United States, and methamphetamine, as well as to strengthen mechanisms to prevent the trafficking of precursors from China.

“Mexico must demonstrate its commitment to dismantle the cartels and their criminal enterprises and do more to protect the lives of Mexican and US citizens threatened by these groups,” Trump stressed.

The US president made these warnings in a memorandum that by law, he must send annually to the Secretary of State in the framework of spending allocations. He identifies the leading countries of transit and drug production and determines whether they have breached their obligations —anti-drug fight.

Trump once again decertified Bolivia and Venezuela “for demonstrably failing during the previous 12 months to comply with their obligations under international agreements against drug trafficking.”