The USA stirs up the hornet's nest of drug trafficking in Mexico | International

All the latest news surrounding Mexico's drug trafficking is taking place in the United States. The Eastern District of New York Attorney General's Office on Thursday requested that Genaro García Luna, who served as Mexico's drug commissioner from 2006 to 2012 but was convicted last year of taking bribes from the Sinaloa cartel, be sentenced to life in prison and fined $5 million for engaging in a criminal drug trafficking scheme, participating in various conspiracies and making false statements. His sentence is scheduled to be announced on October 9 in federal court in Brooklyn. Meanwhile, Ismael May Zambada is scheduled to appear before the same court and the same judge three weeks later, on October 31. And 300 kilometers further south, in Washington, a jury is already deliberating on the verdict against Rubén Oseguera. El MenchitoSon of Nemesio Oseguera El Menchothe leader of the Jalisco New Generation cartel. And before the end of this month, Ovidio Guzmán, the son of El Chapo, has a court date in Chicago after weeks of speculation about his whereabouts.

As the legal offensive on US territory advances on several fronts, the Mexican state of Sinaloa has been burning for 10 days, embroiled in the worst cartel war in over a decade. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the US was “partly responsible” for the wave of violence rocking the state, a historic stronghold of the Sinaloa cartel, because it pursued its attempts to take El Mayo to the bitter end.

“The magnitude of the defendant's crimes, the deaths and addiction he enabled, and his betrayal of the Mexican and American people can hardly be overstated. His crimes demand justice,” wrote prosecutors in the case against García Luna, the former public security undersecretary and architect of the drug war. “This week, Luna's lawyers released a letter accusing President López Obrador of having ties to the Sinaloa cartel and of pushing through his judicial reforms to 'benefit criminals.'” García Luna also revealed that U.S. authorities had offered him a reduced sentence if he disclosed information about other Mexican politicians and businessmen, reigniting debate about possible plea bargains after his conviction.

López Obrador said the former official's letter – his first public handwritten statement since his conviction in February last year – was a sign of “desperation” and demanded that he provide evidence of the charges against him. The confrontation between the president and the former government official was reignited as the verdict date approached, with an exchange of views that surprised García Luna's defense. His lawyers have said they will appeal the sentence, which carries a minimum of 20 years in prison.

The ouster of García Luna, the highest-ranking former Mexican official ever to enter a U.S. court, has drawn attention for its symbolism, but it is not the issue that most worries the López Obrador administration. The unexpected capture of El Mayo on July 25 in New Mexico continues to make waves south of the border: an open confrontation between Zambada's men and Los Chapitos for control of the Sinaloa cartel has sown chaos in Culiacán and other surrounding communities. Officials say some 50 people have been killed in the past two weeks, with dozens more arrested, injured and missing. Revenge for the betrayal that led to the 76-year-old boss's capture came five weeks too late, and now no one – authorities, analysts, or residents – dares to predict when the violence will end.

The president refuses to acknowledge the extent of the Sinaloa cartel's recent split, but the terror that reigns in the state has led him to make the biggest accusation yet against the U.S. government since the capture of El Mayo. “An explanation is necessary because if we are now facing a situation of instability and confrontation in Sinaloa, it is because they made that decision, and we do not agree that Mexico is ignored because we have the problem here,” the president said. “It was totally illegal,” the president said of Zambada's arrest. “How does it help stop the drug problem in the United States?” he asked of Washington's strategy against the leaders of the cartels, which has failed to stop the flow of drugs for decades. “How come we never hear about famous cartels and bosses in the United States?”

López Obrador also questioned the confessions promoted by the U.S. to bring down the big bosses. El Menchito's trial was a parade of former allies and enemies willing to testify about his meteoric rise in the Jalisco cartel, his corrupt dealings to evade the law and his long record of living in his father's shadow, despite being only 34 years old. Nearly 30 witnesses testified in García Luna's trial, including more than a dozen convicted criminals. Mexico's eyes are now on Ovidio Guzmán and his brother Joaquín Guzmán López, who spent years in contact with various U.S. authorities to negotiate extradition and are the main suspects of orchestrating El Menchito's surrender, according to Mexican authorities. “They made a deal and did not inform us,” the president said, stressing that the United States had been non-transparent regarding Zambada's arrest.

Aside from the recent controversy, the fundamental question is whether both countries are capable of maintaining a common agenda against organized crime. The López Obrador administration has pushed for equal treatment and recognition of shared responsibility in the drug trade. The Joe Biden administration has conceded the former, understanding that it needs Mexico as an ally to curb migration and drug trafficking. However, the predominant focus in the war on drugs remains on stopping supply, with virtually no mention of demand. Meanwhile, the fentanyl epidemic claims tens of thousands of Americans' lives each year.

“We are also interested in preventing fentanyl from entering the United States, but the United States must do its part, we must do our part in our country and coordinate and work together,” said Claudia Sheinbaum, the president-elect. The latest disagreement between the two countries comes less than two weeks before the transition of power in Mexico and a month and a half before the U.S. election. And the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will be crucial: It could make the difference between tougher policies that once again cause unrest or efforts to repair the broken channels and make a last attempt at cooperation. Meanwhile, Sinaloa is holding its breath.

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