Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Year : 2, Issue: 19
Anadolu Agency: Outgoing US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar held a final press conference Monday, where he asserted that fentanyl is produced in the country, contradicting the Mexican government.
In his farewell address, Salazar rebuffed the Mexican government’s claim that Mexico does not produce the deadly opioid, which has claimed the lives of thousands of young adults in the US.
“I know what’s going on. There’s fentanyl in Mexico, and I also know it’s produced here,” he added.
Salazar also praised his joint work with Mexican state officials and the closeness of the two North American neighbors.
“I thank the people of Mexico for their warmth and for what we have built together, highlighting that we are family. Our countries have shared an historic cooperation, solidifying North America as the world’s leading economic power.”
Appointed in 2021 as US ambassador, Salazar built a strong and amicable relationship with then-President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. But he was also at odds with the Mexican government during his term, especially when it came to discussing drug trafficking.
As US officials including President-elect Donald Trump continue to promise military action against drug cartels within Mexico’s territory, Salazar has criticized the Mexican government’s strategy against the cartels.
Salazar’s comments come following a story in The New York Times which claimed that cartels are manufacturing fentanyl in Mexico in improvised and low-quality laboratories, which caused friction within the Mexican government, prompting President Sheinbaum to accuse the US news outlet of slander.
As President Joe Biden’s administration ends, with it does Salazar’s tenure as ambassador, giving way to Trump’s pick as the next ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, a former CIA officer and Army Special Forces officer who served as ambassador to El Salvador during Trump’s first term.
