Donald Trump has once again criticized his Mexican counterpart, Claudia Sheinbaum, over her government’s handling of violent criminal groups blamed for widespread instability in Mexico.
Speaking on Friday evening, Trump claimed that Sheinbaum rejected an offer from the United States to intervene and dismantle the organizations responsible for the violence.
“She should get rid of the cartels because the cartels are running Mexico,” he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews before boarding the Air Force One.
Sheinbaum recently confirmed that she turned down a proposed U.S. military operation, stating: “We said No, proudly No.” She also warned that legal action could be taken following remarks by Elon Musk suggesting possible links between cartels and political actors.
Meanwhile, Mexican authorities announced on Thursday the seizure of about 14 million doses of fentanyl and the arrest of six suspects as part of intensified efforts to curb the spread of the powerful opioid.
Officials said the drugs were discovered during raids on a clandestine drug laboratory and a warehouse in the Villa de Álvarez municipality in the state of Colima, according to Mexico’s Public Security ministry.
The operation uncovered approximately 270 kilograms of a substance resembling fentanyl, found both in powder and pill form equivalent to around 14 million pills.
Authorities said the operation involved multiple federal and state security agencies, including the Secretaría de Marina, the Mexican Army, the Guardia Nacional, and the Fiscalía General de la República.
During the launch of a 17-country Americas Counter Cartel Coalition last weekend in Florida, Trump argued that criminal cartels effectively dominate Mexico and pledged to “eradicate” them.
The United States has continued its campaign against Mexican drug cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The CJNG leader, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, widely known as “El Mencho,” was reportedly killed in February.
In a related development on Friday, Sebastián Enrique Marset—a well-known Uruguayan suspected drug kingpin wanted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration—was arrested in Bolivia and extradited to the United States.
Marset, also known as “King of the South,” was captured during a security operation in the Las Palmas area of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. He faces charges connected to international cocaine trafficking and money laundering.
