US officials seek to have CIA or Special Operations officers accompany the Mexican military in raids against fentanyl labs.
The United States is intensifying pressure on Mexico to allow its military forces to conduct joint operations to dismantle fentanyl labs within the country, The New York Times reported on Thursday, January 14th, citing US officials.
US officials want their forces, whether Special Operations troops or CIA officers, to accompany Mexican soldiers in raids against suspected fentanyl labs, the report said, citing multiple unidentified sources.
US President Donald Trump told Fox News last week that the cartels run Mexico and suggested that Washington could attack ground targets to combat them, in one of a series of threats to deploy military force against drug trafficking.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said this week that she is ruling out a U.S. military intervention to combat drug cartels after a “good conversation” with Trump about security and drug trafficking.
The U.S. request for Mexico to use its forces was renewed after Washington’s forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a raid on January 3, the newspaper reported.
Sheinbaum has previously rejected offers of military action from Trump.
Reuters was unable to immediately verify the information from The New York Times. The White House and Mexico’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside of regular business hours.
Source: OEM
