Mexico president denies students making fentanyl for Sinaloa cartel

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum has denied knowledge of students in her country being involved in producing fentanyl for the notorious Sinaloa Cartel.

Her comments follow a New York Times report investigating the alleged involvement of chemistry students in synthetic drug production which says that the organized crime group is targeting Mexican universities to recruit “cooks” for the manufacture of fentanyl.

Mexico’s first woman president said she had consulted her cabinet members regarding the Times‘ report before asserting that “there is no information about this” at her morning press conference on Monday.

Sheinbaum said that her administration does not have information supporting these claims, and she apparently referenced the Emmy-award-winning TV series, Breaking Bad, in response to a reporter’s question.

“There is a [television] show … that takes place in … New Mexico, … a very well-known show that got a lot of awards about a chemistry teacher,” Sheinbaum said.

Sheinbaum, who has served as Mexico’s president for two months, admitted watching some episodes of the show, which stars Bryan Cranston. “I saw some episodes, I didn’t see all of it … but maybe that’s where they got [the report] from, right?

“Because we don’t have information [about chemistry students making drugs for cartels]. And, in any case, chemistry students shouldn’t get involved in that, right?” she added.

The New York Times says it spoke to seven fentanyl producers, including three chemistry students, two senior operatives, and a high-level recruiter, all affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel, one of Mexico’s most powerful drug-trafficking organizations,

According to the U.S. government, the cartel plays a significant role in fentanyl entering the country, and a chemistry professor at a university in Sinaloa State told The Times that he was aware some students enrolled in classes to learn the skills needed to cook synthetic drugs.

“Sometimes when I am teaching them synthesis of pharmaceutical drugs, they openly ask me, ‘Hey, professor, when are you teaching us how to synthesize cocaine and other things?'” he said.

The debate surrounding drug trafficking continues to fuel tensions between Mexico and the incoming administration.

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to take a tougher stance against cartel activity, including threatening the deployment of U.S. military forces to combat drug traffickers and criminal organizations. Additionally, he threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on Mexican imports if the country fails to curb the flow of illegal drugs and migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump has been vocal in his criticism of Mexico’s handling of drug cartels. His stance reflects a hard-line approach to immigration and drug control, aiming to pressure Mexico into increasing its cooperation with U.S. authorities to prevent the trafficking of synthetic drugs.

Sheinbaum has taken a firm stance against the incoming Trump administration and rejected the idea that tariffs or military intervention would be effective solutions to the complex issues of migration and drug trafficking.

In response, she said, “President Trump, migration and drug consumption in the United States cannot be addressed through threats or tariffs. What is needed is cooperation and mutual understanding to tackle these significant challenges.

“For every tariff, there will be a response in kind, until we put at risk our shared enterprises. Yes, shared. For instance, among Mexico’s main exporters to the United States are General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford Motor Company, which arrived in Mexico 80 years ago. Why impose a tariff that would jeopardize them? Such a measure would be unacceptable and would lead to inflation and job losses in both the United States and Mexico.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, are responsible for 70 percent of overdose deaths in the U.S, and the number is steadily increasing. In 2022, there were approximately 74,000 overdoses involving these substances—nearly 25 times the total recorded in 2010.