The DEA’s Statement Is Political; It Should Address Consumption in Its Own Country: Sheinbaum
This article by Romina Gándara originally appeared in the July 15, 2026 edition of SinEmbargo, an independent Mexican digital news outlet.
President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (CSP) responded on Wednesday to the statements by the director of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Terrance C. Cole, who claimed yesterday that a “deadly connection” exists between the drug-trafficking cartels and the Mexican government, a stance the president called “very unfortunate,” asserting that it responds to political motivations.
“It seems to me a very unfortunate statement, for several reasons. First, because it seems to me more a political statement than a substantiated one. There is no basis for what he is saying,” the head of the Federal Executive maintained during her morning press conference.
Sheinbaum’s rebuttal comes after the U.S. official, during his participation in the plenary session of the Fentanyl Free America summit, also asserted that organized crime and the Mexican authorities “are one and the same” in the context of the fentanyl crisis his nation faces.
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Sheinbaum and Trump Talk. A Deal Appears Imminent
Politico and Bloomberg report a Wednesday call a U.S. official called “constructive,” days before the September 28 and 29 USMCA review, as Trump pushes to close a deal before the U.S. midterms.
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People’s Mañanera September 17
President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, with comments on infrastructure, the fight against drugs, sovereignty, Mexican handicrafts, and historical memory.
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“I’d Like a Report on What the U.S. Does Against Drugs,” Sheinbaum Says
The president turned the tables on Washington’s drug scorecard, pointing to U.S. consumption, the opioid crisis, money laundering, and the guns flowing south into Mexico.
