Mexico's crusade against fentanyl reduces trafficking to the US and overdose deaths

"At that time, the U.S. indicated that criminal organizations were manufacturing the synthetic opioid from precursors shipped from China and demanded stronger action from Mexico to contain the problem. The Mexican government's campaign against the drug began during Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's presidency, but the results were not immediately tangible as the number of overdose deaths in the United States multiplied, reaching almost 74,000 in 2022."

"It wasn't until 2024-2025, between Lopez Obrador's departure and the first year of Claudia Sheinbaum's presidency, that the government campaign intensified and managed to reverse the tragic trend. For the first time in years, the trafficking of fentanyl into the U.S., and overdose deaths related to the drug, have decreased. The UN had already highlighted this downward trend in mid-2025."

"The strategy and its results have a more or less clear explanation: Trump's return to the White House a year ago was accompanied by increased pressure on Mexico. The Republican magnate used the demand for greater security results from Mexico as leverage to soften the imposition of tariffs on exports from his southern neighbor. The agreement involved reinforcing the border between the two countries with military personnel, reducing irregular migrant crossings, and cracking down on drug trafficking, with an emphasis on fentanyl."

U.S. authorities linked the fentanyl epidemic to Mexican cartels producing the synthetic opioid from Chinese precursors, prompting calls for stronger Mexican action. Mexico's campaign began under Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador but failed to immediately curb rising U.S. overdose deaths, which reached almost 74,000 in 2022. Increased U.S. pressure after Trump's 2024 return leveraged trade concessions to demand enhanced border security, migrant controls, and an anti-fentanyl crackdown. The Sheinbaum administration launched Operation Northern Border targeting trafficking organizations, severely damaging the Sinaloa Cartel. By 2025 fentanyl trafficking to the U.S. and related overdose deaths declined, with UN reports confirming the downward trend.

Read at english.elpais.com