Mexico and China In Talks to Curb Fentanyl Trade

A file image of a U.S. DEA agent checking powdered fentanyl seized in 2019. Image: Don Emmert / AFP

Mexico and China are reportedly discussing how to control the flow of ingredients used to make fentanyl. The deadly opioid is about fifty times stronger than heroin and causes numerous overdoses in the United States per year.

Despite Mexico and China denying culpability, political pressure from the U.S. prompted conversations between Beijing and Mexico City, which could spark a high-level meeting. The first step to curbing the flow would reportedly be intelligence-sharing about the shipping of precursor chemicals and finished drugs from China to Mexico.

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by Cobus van Staden

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