US Drug Czar Comes to Coordinate Fight Against Fentanyl in Mexico

Arturo Sánchez Jiménez and agencies

Newspaper La Jornada
Wednesday, May 11, 2022, p. 8

The head of International Drug Trafficking and Security Affairs of the United States, Todd Robinson, will visit Mexico City and Tijuana from May 11 to 12.

The trip of the deputy secretary of the Department of State, which is part of the work started this year as part of the Bicentennial Understanding –security agreement that replaced the Mérida Initiative–, aims to coordinate the fight against fentanyl trafficking.

Mexico is the main source transfer of that substance to the United States, warned in February the Commission to Combat Trafficking in Synthetic Opioids, which warned of more than 100,000 deaths from drug overdoses in the United States in 12 months.

The State Department announced Robinson’s trip, who will be accompanied by Assistant Secretary Serena Hoy of the Department of Homeland Security, at a meeting today with Mexican government officials, to highlight the urgent need for bilateral action to prevent the production and trafficking of fentanyl and other dangerous narcotics.

Along with officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Security and Citizen Protection, among other institutions, US officials will highlight the progress made with the Bicentennial Understanding on security, public health and safe communities between both nations, and will discuss joint efforts to demonstrate the impact of cooperation in security matters and improve protection at the border.

Robinson will travel to Tijuana tomorrow to join US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar and other government representatives from both nations at a strategic border infrastructure forum to discuss border infrastructure priorities and modernization.