A round of indictments against a major Mexican fentanyl trafficking gang last week presents an opportunity to hinder the multinational drug company and kill people on both sides of the border, but only if leaders in the United States and Mexico can stop sneaking up on each other and be able to overcome a chasm between them.

American attention. General Merrick Garland, who announced the charges against Sinaloa cartel leaders and other alleged drug traffickers on Friday, called it the largest, most violent and prolific fentanyl trafficking operation in the world. But it wasn’t long before Mexican President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador questioned the investigation that led to the charges against Los Chapitos, four sons of notorious drug lord Joaqun Guzmn, known as El Chapo and believed to have handed over control of the Sinaloa. cartel to his son

AMLO, as he is commonly known,

Lpez Obrador, commonly known as AMLO, on Monday accused the US government of spying and violating Mexico’s national sovereignty.

Such a disagreement is sadly not unexpected given that leaders in both countries have been engaged in a war of words for weeks since four US citizens were attacked by a drug gang while visiting the Mexican border town of Matamoros in early March. Two died in gunfire and two others were kidnapped and released a few days later. The kidnappings prompted Republicans to call for drug cartels to be designated as foreign terrorist organizations and for the US to invade Mexico to fight these cartels. While the frustration is understandable, such vigilante-style fantasies run counter to a good relationship between two countries.

It is especially disappointing because just a few months ago the presidents of the US, Mexico and Canada pledged cooperation against the fentanyl trade at a meeting in Mexico City. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. In the U.S., fentanyl overdoses are now the leading cause of death among those between the ages of 18 and 49.

Relations between the US and Mexico on drug trafficking have always been rocky, with drugs coming from Mexico to meet the high demand in the US. But AMLO went a step too far. In response to Republican threats, he absurdly suggested that American parent

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were responsible for the fentanyl crisis because they didn’t hug their kids enough. He sparked further anger in the US when he categorically denied that fentanyl is produced in Mexico, contrary to evidence gathered by US law enforcement.

It also goes against information in the indictments issued last week in Washington, DC, Illinois and New York. The investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and other US law enforcement officials followed a massive drug trafficking enterprise that stretches from China to Mexico and the US. DEA agents infiltrated the Sinaloa Cartel and the Chapitos Network to document how the cartel obtains chemicals from China, produces the fentanyl in clandestine labs in Mexico, and ultimately distributes the drugs in the US, according to the indictments. The documents provide a revealing glimpse into the workings of a major criminal enterprise with multinational reach that uses an extensive network of couriers, tunnels and warehouses.

These charges are a major blow to one of the largest drug cartels. Seven of the 28 defendants named in the indictments are in custody awaiting extradition hearings, but the others are at large. Finding and arresting them will require the cooperation of Mexico and probably other countries. Both countries continue to pledge their cooperation even on the day the charges were announced, but the barb trade is not helping.

With the drug wars on both sides of the border claiming thousands of lives, it is imperative that US and Mexican leaders stop antagonizing each other and focus on their common goal of ending the violence and death associated with the illegal fentanyl trade. to decrease.