Mexico arrests alleged prominent fentanyl trafficker

An alleged ​Mexican drug trafficker accused ​of coordinating and ‌financing an ​organization dedicated to transporting chemical precursors used for the production of fentanyl from ‌China to Mexico and the United States was arrested in Mexico City on Tuesday, Mexico's security minister said. Jose Angel Rivera, ‌also known by his alias Don Flaco, was detained ‌by Mexican authorities in a joint operation carried out alongside the FBI and the US Drug Enforcement Administration, Omar Garcia Harfuch said ⁠in ​a post ⁠on X.

Rivera had been sanctioned by the US State Department in January ⁠2023 for his alleged involvement in fentanyl trafficking into the ​US. "Through international cooperation, shared responsibility, and unrestricted respect for ⁠our sovereignty, we are cutting off the flow of money that finances ⁠the ​criminal organizations causing so much harm in Mexico and other countries," Harfuch said.

Earlier on Tuesday, US President ⁠Donald Trump told the United Nations that Mexico was the epicenter ⁠of ⁠drug cartel violence, adding that the country had to reclaim control of its territory.