In a further demonstration of the rift between Mexico and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Mexican government said Tuesday that it did not participate in a recent operation that, according to the agency, led to more than 600 arrests of alleged members of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Omar García Harfuch, Mexico’s Secretary of Security, addressed the issue during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, in which he asserted that Mexico carries out actions against the Sinaloa Cartel “on a permanent basis” but did not collaborate with the deployment reported by the DEA.
“In Mexico, we have been making significant arrests permanently related to the Sinaloa Cartel. Related to an international DEA operation or a large operation involving Mexico, no, we have not had any joint operations,” the official said.
The DEA released the results of an operation on Monday that, according to its count, resulted in 617 arrests and the seizure of 10 tons of drugs linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. The agency added that these operations were carried out in 23 jurisdictions in the United States and seven locations abroad, without specifying which ones.
CNN contacted the DEA for more information about the operation and García Harfuch’s statements and is awaiting a response.
The Mexican government’s disavowal of this DEA operation, carried out between August 25 and 29, adds to other public differences between Mexican authorities and the agency.
Sheinbaum and other officials criticize the possibility of US institutions negotiating with alleged Mexican drug traffickers transferred to that country to face justice. They have also denied that there is already an agreement with the DEA to carry out joint security tasks.
Source: cnnespanol
