Andres Manuel Lopez ObradorPresident of Mexico, denied that there are regions of the country in control of drug trafficking, in response to a recent statement by the Secretary of State of the United States, Anthony Blinken.
During an appearance before a US Senate committee, Blinken stated that “it is fair to say” that some areas of Mexican territory are controlled by drug traffickersin response to a query from a Republican senator.
“That is false,” López Obrador said in his daily conference.
“There is no place in the national territory where there is no presence of the authority,” he added.
The differences between the two governments over the security situation in Mexico occur after bilateral tension rose at the beginning of the month as a result of the kidnapping of four Americans in Tamaulipasin an episode that resulted in the death of two of them.
After the incident in that area close to the common border, the Mexican president assured that his country “is safer” than the United States, despite the fact that the homicide figures per 100,000 inhabitants are higher than in the neighboring nation.
The friction has also been exacerbated by comments by US authorities denouncing that Mexico is not doing enough to combat trafficking in fentanyl, a powerful drug that causes tens of thousands of American deaths each year.
