Mexico arrests alleged prominent fentanyl trafficker

MEXICO CITY, Sept 22 - An alleged Mexican drug trafficker accused of coordinating and financing an organization dedicated to transporting chemical precursors used for the production of fentanyl from China to Mexico and the United States was arrested in Mexico City on Tuesday, Mexico's security minister said.

Jose Angel Rivera, also known by his alias Don Flaco, was detained by Mexican authorities in a joint operation carried out alongside the FBI and the US Drug Enforcement Administration, Omar Garcia Harfuch said in a post on X.

Rivera had been sanctioned by the US State Department in January 2023 for his alleged involvement in fentanyl trafficking into the US.

"Through international cooperation, shared responsibility, and unrestricted respect for our sovereignty, we are cutting off the flow of money that finances the criminal organizations causing so much harm in Mexico and other countries," Harfuch said.

Earlier on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump told the United Nations that Mexico was the epicenter of drug cartel violence, adding that the country had to reclaim control of its territory. REUTERS