Sheinbaum rejects US claim that Mexico’s government is linked to cartels

Sheinbaum has denounced remarks from DEA head Terry Cole as a baseless ‘political statement’ about Mexico.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has rejected a claim from the head of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that there is a deadly connection between her government and the country’s influential criminal cartels.During her daily news conference on Wednesday, Sheinbaum pushed back, saying the DEA’s remarks seemed “more ‌like a political statement than one backed by evidence”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Sheinbaum accuses US of ‘interference’ amid probe of Mexican officialslist 2 of 3Family demands investigation after US man killed by ICE agent in Texaslist 3 of 3Witnesses contest the Trump administration’s account of Texas ICE killingend of listShe added that the DEA should focus on combating drug trafficking, distribution and money laundering within its own country. The US, she pointed out, is the world’s largest market for illicit drugs.Sheinbaum has repeatedly faced accusations under US President Donald Trump that her country is “run” by cartels.Several Trump officials have mirrored that assertion. On Tuesday, for instance, DEA Administrator Terry Cole said ⁠the Mexican government and cartel networks were “one and the same”.The Mexican government responded by saying Cole’s remarks did not reflect its efforts to work with the US to combat cartels.It added that Mexico continues to be willing to collaborate with the US to combat crime, as long as its sovereignty was respected.Since Trump took office for a second term, Sheinbaum has faced pressure from her northern neighbour to crack down on crime in her country.In response, she has pledged close cooperation with the US, while pushing back against Trump’s militaristic approach to Latin America.Her administration has repeatedly rejected the prospect of the US conducting military operations on its soil without the federal government’s consent.