President Andrés Manuel López Obrador responded to statements made by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who stated that in Mexico there are regions that are completely governed by drug traffickers.

During his press conference at the National Palace, Obrador said that the statements by the US Secretary of State are part of the election process that will take place next year in the United States. He denied that there are regions in Mexico that are governed by drug cartels.

Antony Blinken answered a Republican senator at a hearing that “it is fair to say” that there are areas in Mexico that are controlled by drug cartels.

Obrador rejected these statements saying that “it is false”, adding that there is no place in Mexico where there’s no presence from authorities.

Tensions have risen between both countries regarding the crime and insecurity experienced in Mexico’s northern border and fentanyl trafficking reaching the United States. One of the most significant events was the kidnapping of four Americans in Tamaulipas by drug cartels, which resulted in two of them dying and the culprits being handed over by the drug traffickers themselves, saying that they had mistakenly kidnapped them.

This incident, which occurred in the first week of March, was a topic for the political industry of the United States who accused the president of Mexico of not acting against drug cartels. The US senate tried to pass a law that would allow the US Army to invade in order to deal with these groups.

These discussions caused a reaction from the National Palace, where president Obrador spoke about sovereignty, which he will defend, even if he has to defend drug cartels, from a possible invasion by the US Army.

In the last few hours, criminal groups have faced off against other criminal organizations, as well as armed forces and the nation’s security agencies, all of which has caused significant casualties.

In November 2022, National Guard General José Silvestre Urzúa was murdered in Zacatecas during an armed confrontation.

Roberto Elías, Supervisor Judge of this state, lost his life outside his home, while other communities in this very same state, such as the municipality of Jerez, have been victims of unmeasurable violent incidents, which caused a high number of people to leave the city.

This week, 41-year-old Jesús Alejandro Camacho Escobar, Subsecretary of Citizen Security of Guanajuato, was murdered outside his home in an armed attack.

In the state of Sonora, community Yaqui schools had to suspend classes due to armed conflicts between criminal organizations. On March 21, Óscar Manuel, Commander of prisoners at the Federal Center of Social Readaptation (CEFERSO) was murdered while walking in Gaspar Luken Boulevard in Hermosillo.

These incidents have caused the federal government to offer their support, however, violence rates continue to increase.