Cartel corruption claims push US-Mexico relations to breaking point

Relations between Mexico and the United States are being pushed to breaking point amid accusations by Washington that Mexican officials have been “in bed for years” with drug traffickers, and reports of CIA agents freely operating south of the border. “There are many who are betting on the defeat and failure of the Mexican government,” said Claudia Sheinbaum tersely on Wednesday, when asked about the allegations at a news conference. ”We want a good relationship with the United States government. What are our limits? The defence of sovereignty and respect for the Mexican people and their dignity.” Sheinbaum’s comments follow inflammatory testimony from Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) director Terry Cole before the US Senate on Tuesday. “There’s no doubt that the narco traffickers and high-ranking government officials in Mexico have been in bed for years,” Cole said. “They are just as much responsible for the death and destruction of record amounts of Americans by cooperating, by conspiring, by helping, producing this poison to come across the border.” Mexico has been under intense pressure from Washington for months to tackle drug trafficking groups, with President Donald Trump repeatedly threatening to send troops south of the border. But in recent weeks, that pressure has intensified, pushing Sheinbaum into a delicate balancing act between trying to appease her party and mollify an increasingly hawkish White House. …