MEXICO CITY, July 16 — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday rejected accusations by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) chief Terrance Cole, who suggested links between the Mexican government and drug cartels.
Speaking at her daily press conference, Sheinbaum called the remarks unfounded.
“I think it is a very unfortunate statement for several reasons. First, because it seems to me more like a political statement than one based on evidence. What he’s saying has no basis in fact,” she said.
The Mexican president urged the DEA to focus on problems inside the United States, which is facing a major crisis over the use of fentanyl and other drugs. “In my view, the DEA has a lot of work to do in the United States,” she said.
The controversy followed Cole’s remarks at the Fentanyl Free America Summit 2026, where he said the DEA would use all its resources against cartels, including “the deadly connection between cartel networks and the Mexican Government.”
Sheinbaum said that instead of speaking about alleged links with Mexican authorities, the DEA should investigate who distributes, sells, and finances drug trafficking, and how they do so within the United States.
She also recalled the case of Nicholas Palmeri, a former DEA regional director for Mexico who was removed from his post over alleged links with lawyers connected to criminal organizations.
The Mexican president also questioned the timing of Cole’s remarks, noting that they came as her administration announced a 48 percent reduction in the daily average number of homicides in June compared with September 2024.
“If a government is linked to any criminal group, there cannot be a reduction in crime. It’s a contradiction,” she said. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
