Mexican president denies cartels are producing most fentanyl, blames US drug use on family breakdown

Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador denied claims from the U.S. government that the majority of fentanyl is produced in Mexico and defended his country's traditional family values as a protection against drug abuse in an interview that aired Sunday.

"The head of the DEA says cartels are mass-producing fentanyl, and the U.S. State Department has said that most of it is coming out of Mexico. Are they wrong?" CBS' Sharyn Alfonsi asked the outgoing president in a Sunday interview on "60 Minutes."

"Yes," Lopez Obrador said. "Or rather, they don't have all the information, because fentanyl is also produced in the United States." 

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Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador denied claims from the U.S. government that the majority of fentanyl is produced in Mexico and defended his country's traditions as a protection against drug abuse in an interview that aired Sunday. (Getty Images / CBS screenshot)

When Alfonsi added that the U.S. State Department has stated that most fentanyl comes from Mexico, Lopez Obrador said that the production of fentanyl is also tied to Asia.

"Fentanyl is produced in the United States, in Canada, and in Mexico," he said. "And the chemical precursors come from Asia."

In addition, he pointed to the breakdown of the family unit in the U.S.

"You know why we don't have the drug consumption that you have in the United States? Because we have customs, traditions, and we don't have the problem of the disintegration of the family."

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is a major driver in the deadliest drug crisis the U.S. has ever seen. More than 100,000 deaths were linked to drug overdoses in 2022, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than two-thirds involved fentanyl or similar synthetic drugs.

Illicit fentanyl is typically created in Mexico by cartels in labs with the use of precursors shipped over from China. The U.S. has called for an international coalition to combat the crisis and has appealed for help from both China and Mexico.

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When Alfonsi pointed out that there is also "drug consumption in Mexico," Lopez Obrador responded that there is "very little."  (REUTERS/Raquel Cunha)

When Alfonsi pointed out that there is also "drug consumption in Mexico," Lopez Obrador responded that there is "very little." 

"So, why the violence, then, in Mexico?" Alfonsi asked Lopez Obrador. 

"Because drug trafficking exists, but not the consumption," he said. 

Biden administration officials have spoken on the fentanyl crisis over the past few years, with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas pointing to China's involvement in 2023. 

"The precursor chemicals, many of which have legal use, the precursor chemicals, the pill presses that are used to manufacture fentanyl, it's extremely easy to manufacture, it's extremely quick, it's easy to conceal," Mayorkas said. "We seized vertical, long vertical candles that were hollowed out with pills. China bears responsibility. We need their assistance in interdicting the chemicals and pill presses that are going in volumes that don't reflect legitimate use."

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Fox News' Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

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