The US State Department highlighted this Friday the support of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum against narcoterrorism, but warned that problems persist and that it “will use all available tools” to combat the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
The Deputy Undersecretary of the Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Michael Gonzales, expressed in a virtual conference that there will be “very close collaboration” with Mexican authorities following the rewards announced this week for a total that exceeds 100 million dollars to capture CJNG leaders.
"Absolutely, we recognize that Mrs. Claudia Sheinbaum has publicly declared (that she is going) to combat illicit drugs, capture, make arrests. Under her leadership in Mexico, she has supported the arrest of narcoterrorism," Gonzales declared.
But the official clarified that “at the same time, more must be done” against drug trafficking, considering that “there are problems that continue,” so there are actions that the United States “has to do to help Mexico and there are some things” that they must “replace.”
Washington announced on Wednesday rewards to capture leaders of the CJNG, a criminal organization designated as terrorist by Trump, including 20 to 25 million dollars for Juan Carlos Valencia Gonzales, alias 'Pelón', successor to Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes 'El Mencho', who died in February in an operation.
Likewise, the State Department prohibited the entry to the United States of 65 relatives or associates of people linked to the CJNG, of whom 26 had visas that it already revoked.
Gonzales refused to identify if there are Mexican officials among them, since in Mexico the cancellation of visas of border governors of the ruling party such as Alfonso Durazo, from Sonora, and Américo Villarreal, from Tamaulipas, is causing controversy, in addition to the criminal case in the US against the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha.
The undersecretary warned that Washington will use “every tool at its disposal to pursue, to dismantle, to destroy these ruthless foreign terrorist organizations and to protect the United States.”
Even so, when asked what other tools he would use if Mexico does not capture the CJNG leaders, he did not clarify the possible measures of the United States, where Trump has called for military attacks against the cartels.
"How do we do it? It will depend on the information we obtain and (how) viable those actions are going to be, but we are really going to work together with the Mexican counterparts," he insisted.
With information from EFE.
