US Treasury Department Launches New Strike Force To Fight Fentanyl, Janet Yellen Heads to Mexico

The US is intensifying its campaign against fentanyl trafficking as the US Treasury Department has launched a new strike force to help stem the influx of the deadly opioid. To help make this happen, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is heading to Mexico to meet with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

According to the Yucatan Times, the Mexican president himself has already confirmed that Yellen is going to Mexico to meet with him. Speaking during his usual morning press conference, AMLO confirmed he will indeed meet with Yellen but admitted he still does not know what the agenda for that meeting will be. However, he noted that he was pleased to have a meeting with her soon after he had a successful meeting with his own finance secretary.

AMLO added that he expects to also talk to her about tax issues and added that he will meet with her personally on Thursday. The meeting will come after Yellen successfully secured Chinese cooperation to help combat illicit fentanyl trafficking.

However, the Treasury secretary and the other leaders of the US Treasury Department are expected to not just speak with government leaders like AMLO to fight fentanyl, but also with leaders in Mexico's private sector to ensure that illicit finance that funds the drug trade and boost supply chains in Mexico will be stopped.

How the Treasury Department Plans To Stop Fentanyl

The Counter-Fentanyl Strike Force was only announced last Monday and it will consist of many of the US Treasury Department's best and brightest. Personnel from its sanctions and intelligence arms, as well as IRS Criminal Investigations, will all be working together to help stop the flow of fentanyl into the US.

By attacking the money of the Mexican drug cartels, the US Treasury Department expects to help stem the tide of fentanyl arriving in the country. So far, it has been imposing sanctions against top cartel leaders and businesses connected to trafficking operations and so far, this has worked in pressuring some of the biggest cartels to either stop manufacturing fentanyl or slow it down.

The biggest example so far is the Sinaloa Cartel, whose leaders have been heavily sanctioned by Yellen's Treasury Department. Leaders of the Cartel's Los Chapitos faction told members to stop manufacturing or selling fentanyl.

According to the Associated Press, this trip to Mexico will just be the beginning of the Biden administration's plan to redouble its efforts to halt the flow of the deadly opioid into the US, and they are working together with the governments of China and Mexico to make this happen.

US Got China To Agree To Crackdown on Fentanyl Shipping

While the illegal fentanyl flowing into the US mostly comes from Mexico, the material used to create these opioids comes from China and these used to flow into Mexico freely. However, after Joe Biden met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the country has agreed to also crackdown on the flow of fentanyl-making material, as well as fentanyl itself.

The Financial Times noted that last month's meeting with Xi marked a significant achievement for the Biden administration as this could significantly slow down the flow of fentanyl into the US.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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