DEA says Mexican government colludes with drug cartels

DEA Administrator Terry (Terrance) Cole told an anti‑addiction summit in Orlando that a “mortifera connection” links the Mexican government with drug cartels. He said, “They are one and the same. This includes the mortal connection between cartel networks and the Mexican government. They are our number‑one priority,” and stressed that tackling the cartels and the fentanyl crisis is the agency’s top focus.

Cole’s comments follow U.S. criminal charges filed two months earlier against Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and nine other Mexican officials for alleged ties to the cartel. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum replied that the United States has offered no proof and that any investigation remains in the hands of Mexico’s Attorney General.