[Trending News] Mexico announces 18kg seizure of Fentanil, a drug behind Trump's threats

The Mexican government announced, on Friday (31), the seizure of 18 pounds of fentanil, lethal synthetic opioid whose trafficking the president of the United States, Donald Trump, claims to be the reason for the imposition of heavy customs tariffs to Mexico and Canada .

The drug was discovered by the reserve tire of a passenger bus during a routine operation on a road between the cities of Santa Ana and Hemosillo, this last capital of the Sonora State (on the Unonona border, United States).

In total, about 18 pounds of blue narcotic pills and two kilos of heroin were seized, detailed a joint statement from the Secretariats of Defense, Navy and Security, Attorney General and National Guard.

Authorities arrested two suspects and retired the vehicle.

The report, which does not specify dates, also mentioned the seizure of four tons of methamphetamine during a police operation in a home in Playas de Rosarito (Baja California, Northwest), a region also near the United States border.

Seizures occur on the eve of Trump's possible announcement on the imposition of 25% tariffs on imported Mexico and Canada products, their partners in the North America Free Trade Treaty (T-MEC).

The president justifies this as a way to press the two countries to intensify their efforts against fentanyl trafficking – which causes tens of thousands of deaths a year in the United States – and illegal migration.

Washington states that inputs to make this drug (50 times more powerful than heroin) come from China, a country that also threatens with higher customs tariffs.

Mexican authorities have intensified ads for synthetic drug seizures, particularly Fentanil, amid Trump pressure.

Last December, the Mexican government reported a record seizure of more than one ton of pills of this substance, equivalent to about 20 million doses in Sinaloa (northwest).

At the end of this month, the destruction of more than 416,000 fentanyl pills in Jalisco (West) was also reported.