MEXICO CITY–Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum promised on Sunday that her country would continue to collaborate with the United States on efforts to combat the illegal trade in fentanyl, the synthetic opioid at the center of US President Donald Trump’s trade war with both Mexico and Canada.
Sheinbaum also stressed that her government would double down on efforts to ensure the drug does not fall into the hands of young people in Mexico and around the world.
“We are determined to collaborate in all areas, especially in view of the concerns over the serious problem of synthetic drug use,” said Sheinbaum, speaking Sunday from Mexico City’s central plaza. “Furthermore, as I have said, not only do we not want this drug to reach young Americans, but we do not want it to reach youth in Mexico or in any other part of the world.”
Fentanyl overdoses continue to be among the leading causes of death for American teens, according to the US Centers for Disease Control. Data show some 87,000 drug overdoses for the year ending September 2024. The figure is a decline from 2023, when it reached as high as 114,000 deaths.
Fentanyl use has also been increasing in Mexico, where health workers and researchers are sounding the alarm over what they say is an uptick in the number of young people seeking treatment for fentanyl addiction. While the numbers pale in comparison to those seen in the US, there is concern over the narcotic’s highly addictive qualities.
President Trump, meanwhile, continues to hold the threat of tariffs over Mexico and Canada. The tariffs went into effect last month before being repealed temporarily. Trump has promised to reinstate them on April 2 if the US’ two neighbors and critical trade partners fail to deliver on his demands of reducing fentanyl traffic across US borders.
Canadian border officials reported around 43 pounds of fentanyl were intercepted before reaching the US border last year, while intercepting 11 pounds of the drug going the other way. Data from the US show some 21,000 pounds were seized at the US-Mexico border in 2024, with a majority—as high as 80% according to some figures—of those detained being US citizens.
“Fentanyl trafficking across the border has decreased by 50%” since October of last year, Sheinbaum noted, citing data from US Customs and Border Patrol. “And from January to February 2025, by 41%, thanks to the seizures made by the Ministry of Security and Civilian Protection (SSC) and the Armed Forces in Mexico.”