López Obrador sued in ICC and US over security and fentanyl claims

Mexico's main opposition party, the National Action Party (PAN), filed a formal criminal complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of crimes against humanity. The petition cites over 200,000 homicides and 150,000 forced disappearances recorded during his administration, alleging systematic state failure to protect citizens and collusion with drug‑cartel‑controlled territories. The current president, Claudia Sheinbaum, dismissed the filing as politically motivated.

In the United States, five criminal complaints have been lodged with the Department of Justice and the Treasury, alleging that López Obrador acted as the “intellectual author” of a large‑scale fentanyl trafficking operation that contributed to roughly 350,000 American deaths. The complaints claim the former administration weaponised the health regulator Cofepris and customs to permit massive imports of precursor chemicals, enabling an estimated 2,185 clandestine labs—about 1,400 in Sinaloa. Discrepancies between reported imports and seized quantities, testimony from former Navy General Gerardo Mérida, and involvement of several former officials are highlighted. U.S. judges have begun a 60‑day review of the evidence, which could lead to extradition requests.