Mexico City, Mexico – United States Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar gave a final warning regarding fentanyl production in the country as his tenure as the U.S.’ chief diplomat comes to an end while the upcoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump prepares the next stage of diplomatic relations with its southern neighbor.
While bidding farewell to his post, Salazar expressed great respect for Mexico and its people. Nevertheless, the seasoned diplomat also issued a final warning to the incoming embassy regarding the trafficking of synthetic opioids, which has caused tens of thousands of deaths in the U.S. and increased diplomatic tensions between both countries.
“I know what’s going on, that there’s fentanyl in Mexico, and I also know that it’s produced here,” said Salazar during his final press conference on January 6.
Salazar’s comments follow the recent face-off between Mexico and The New York Times, in which the U.S. publication launched an investigation depicting improvised and domestic narcotics laboratories in Mexico to produce fentanyl, a claim the Mexican government, led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, reviled as an interventionist attitude.
During her morning press conference on January 7, Sheinbaum criticized Salazar following the diplomat’s remarks.
“Well, I would say that during the last term, there were disagreements with the ambassador,” she said. “One day he applauded them, and the next day he reproved them […] but besides, the U.S. ambassador has no business opining on a matter that concerns Mexico.”
Salazar, who enjoyed a close relationship with former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to the dismay of some, had a falling out with the Mexican government after criticizing some of the ex-President’s more controversial policies such as the reform of the judiciary.
Moreover, Salazar also slammed Mexico’s security strategy to combat drug cartels, which he labeled as a failure.
“Unfortunately, this coordination has failed in the last year, in great part because the previous president did not want to receive help from the United States,” he said in November at a press conference.
For their part, the Mexican government has rebuffed Salazar’s claims and maintained that fentanyl is not produced in Mexico despite records showing that there have been at least 26 fentanyl production facilities in Mexico found since 2019.
Fentanyl, which has driven at least 100,000 young adults to their deaths in the U.S., has become a focal point of U.S.-Mexican relations, with U.S. officials pushing for a more aggressive takedown of drug cartels in Mexico.
Headed by Trump, factions of the U.S. government have talked about taking a more active role in combating drug trafficking – from Trump’s promised 25% tariffs on all imported goods from Mexico if Sheinbaum doesn’t slow the flow of migrants and drugs into the U.S., to even deploying armed forces inside Mexican territory.
As President Joe Biden’s administration comes to an end on January 20, the U.S. embassy in Mexico is expected to welcome its new ambassador, former Green Beret and CIA official Ronald Johnson.
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