Mexican president says lack of ‘hugs and embraces,’ not drug cartels, responsible for fentanyl disaster

Mexican President André Manuel López Obrador stated Friday a scarcity of “hugs and embraces” are responsible for the U.S. fentanyl disaster, the most recent in a collection of remarks on the subject by the Mexican president, who has sought to dismiss the function that murderous drug cartels play in delivery the lethal drug into the U.S.

The controversial Mexican chief instructed reporters the U.S. fentanyl disaster was attributable to “a scarcity of hugs, of embraces.”

“There’s a whole lot of disintegration of households. There’s a whole lot of individualism. There’s a lack of affection, of brotherhood, of hugs and embraces,” López Obrador stated, in line with The Related Press. “That’s the reason [U.S. officials] must be dedicating funds to deal with the causes.”

The remarks had been the most recent effort by the president to deflect renewed scrutiny within the U.S. on the function of Mexican drug cartels in bringing fentanyl, which is 50-100 instances stronger than morphine and might be deadly in tiny doses, into the U.S.

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The drug is primarily made in Mexico utilizing Chinese language precursors after which smuggled in throughout the land border, primarily at ports of entry, but additionally between ports. 

The DEA stated in December that “many of the fentanyl trafficked by the Sinaloa and CJNG Cartels is being mass-produced at secret factories in Mexico with chemical compounds sourced largely from China.”

There have been 14,000 kilos of the drug seized final fiscal yr on the southern border and greater than 11,000 kilos this fiscal yr thus far. There have been over 70,000 deaths recorded because of fentanyl within the U.S. in 2021, in line with the Nationwide Institute of Well being.

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Lawyer Common Merrick Garland just lately instructed lawmakers Mexico was serving to the U.S. with the problem of fentanyl, however might nonetheless be doing extra. He additionally stated the epidemic is being “unleashed on function” by Mexico.

A number of lawmakers have since referred to as for cartels to be designated as overseas terrorist organizations, and a few have raised the opportunity of army motion to take out the drug labs in Mexico.

“We’ll unleash the fury and would possibly of america in opposition to these cartels,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., stated earlier this month. “We’ll destroy their enterprise mannequin and their life-style as a result of our nationwide safety and the safety of america as a complete depends upon us taking decisive motion.”

These calls led López Obrador to falsely declare Mexico doesn’t produce fentanyl.

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“Right here, we don’t produce fentanyl, and we should not have consumption of fentanyl,” López Obrador stated. “Why do not they [the United States] handle their drawback of social decay?”

He additionally threatened to meddle in U.S. elections by launching an “data marketing campaign” in opposition to Republicans.

“And if they don’t change their angle and suppose that they will use Mexico for his or her propaganda, electoral and political functions, we’re going to name for them to not vote for that celebration, as a result of it’s interventionist, inhumane, hypocritical and corrupt,” López Obrador stated, later including that Mexico could be insisting that “not one vote” goes to Republicans from Mexicans and Hispanics.

This week, he additionally referred to as for a ban in each international locations on using fentanyl in medication, though there isn’t a indication that using fentanyl in hospitals is related with the continuing broader disaster. Most fentanyl obtainable illegally is consumed through faux capsules used to appear like different medication and medicine.

The Related Press contributed to this report.

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