Fentanyl pills found by officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration are seen in this handout picture, in New York, U.S., October 4, 2022.
Drug Enforcement Administration/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - The Biden administration is facing an "unwillingness" by Mexico to devote enough resources to help stem the flow of the illegal drug fentanyl into the United States, and is pressing Mexican authorities to do more, a U.S. official said on Thursday.
President Joe Biden's administration has been seeking increased cooperation from both Mexico and China in curbing the flow of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals, which have fueled a sharp rise in U.S. overdose deaths.
“To be honest, the challenge that we have with Mexico is their unwillingness to put … sufficient resources into the fight, and we are pushing them to do that,” Robinson said when asked whether Mexico was showing enough political will to tackle the fentanyl crisis.
Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena said on August 10 that Mexico was developing a digital tracking system for fentanyl precursor chemicals, including methods to detect the substances at Mexico's ports and border crossing points.
Persons:
Biden, Todd Robinson, Joe Biden's, ” Robinson, ”, Alicia Barcena, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Xi Jinping, Matt Spetalnick, Timothy Gardner
Organizations:
Drug, Administration, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, U.S, Foreign, U.S ., Thomson
Locations:
New York, U.S, Mexico, United States, China, Mexican, Washington, U.S . Mexican