Mexico tries to curb fentanyl as the U.S. piles up pressure against cartels

The placards are becoming increasingly common across Mexican territory: fentanyl trafficking is prohibited, or else … 

The message is signed not by government authorities, military forces, or the police, but by drug cartels themselves, who are feeling the pressure from the U.S. in response to the rise of fentanyl-related deaths north of the border.

“In Sinaloa, the sale, manufacturing, transportation, or any other business involving fentanyl is now strictly prohibited, including the sale of chemical products needed for its elaboration,” a message signed by Los Chapitos, a trafficking group heir to the now jailed former kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán said recently.

Dealers who didn’t comply with this order have already been killed, the Mexican press reported. 

The cartel’s policy shift comes amid intensifying U.S. pressure, with Attorney General Merrick Garland saying the Sinaloa Cartel is responsible for “the largest, most violent and prolific fentanyl trafficking operation in the world,” while the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s Anne Milgram vowed that “nothing will stop the DEA to protect U.S. National Security” after bringing in a case against the cartel.

Many cartel members, including some of El Chapo’s sons, are currently facing long sentences over the matter.

The topic was also on the agenda of senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken — during his latest trip to Mexico this month to meet with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

They discussed security and immigration, in the latest move to combat the drug trade, while also defusing tensions amid a growing Republican push for the use of military force to fight cartels south of the border.

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