Mexican president accuses US of harboring cartels, rejects Trump's claims

Express Tribune

15-02-2025

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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has pushed back against US President Donald Trump's claims that Mexico is colluding with drug cartels, accusing the US of harboring organized crime and facilitating drug distribution within its own borders.
'There is also organized crime in the United States, and there are American individuals who come to Mexico to engage in illegal activities,' Sheinbaum stated at a press conference on Thursday. 'Otherwise, who would be distributing fentanyl in American cities?'
Her remarks came in response to a question from Animal Político, which recently published an investigation revealing that more than 2,600 US citizens have been arrested in Mexico for organized crime-related offenses—such as drug and firearms smuggling—since former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in December 2018.
'The issue is not just that drugs flow from Mexico to the US,' Sheinbaum emphasized, highlighting the shared responsibility for the drug trade.
While reiterating Mexico's willingness to collaborate with the US on security matters, she insisted that American authorities must also take responsibility for stemming drug trafficking within their own country.
'In the United States, they also have to act,' she asserted.
Google's Renaming of the Gulf of Mexico Sparks Outrage
Sheinbaum also criticized Google's recent decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America for US users on Google Maps. She warned that Mexico may take legal action if the issue remains unresolved.
'If necessary, we will file a civil lawsuit,' she said.
The change reflects a move by the Trump administration to rename the gulf's U.S.-controlled continental shelf, but Sheinbaum pointed out that even Trump did not propose renaming the entire body of water.
'Google is wrong,' she declared, urging the company to reconsider its decision in line with international recognition of the Gulf of Mexico name.
Sheinbaum rejects Trump's accusations of Mexico's alleged
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rug cartel ties
In response to Trump's earlier remarks linking the Mexican government to drug cartels—justifying tariffs as a measure against illegal immigration and drug trafficking—Sheinbaum issued a strong rebuttal.
'We categorically reject the White House's slanderous accusations about Mexico's supposed alliances with criminal organizations,' she wrote on X. 'If there is any such alliance, it exists in the U.S. gun shops that supply high-powered weapons to these groups.'
She highlighted Mexico's efforts in combating drug trafficking, citing the seizure of over 40 tons of drugs—including 20 million doses of fentanyl—and the arrests of more than