Statement by Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Liz Sherwood Randall on New Actions to Combat Global Illicit Drug Manufacturing and Trafficking

In a coordinated action involving the United States, People's Republic of China (PRC), and Mexico, the Department of Justice announced today the unsealing of indictments against 24 individuals for their role in a money-laundering scheme on behalf of the deadly Sinaloa cartel. The PRC has informed the United States that it has taken into custody and is pursuing its own charges against one of the charged individuals, and Mexico has taken into custody another charged individual. The PRC actions build on the commitment made between President Biden and President Xi at the Woodside Summit in November 2023 to resume bilateral cooperation to combat global illicit drug manufacturing and trafficking, and the subsequent launch of a U.S.-PRC Counternarcotics Working Group. Mexico's actions reinforce the strong partnership that President Biden has established with President Lopez Obrador to counter the drug trafficking organizations that profit off the deadly scourge of illicit fentanyl. Another 20 charged individuals have already been arrested in connection with this case

Today's action is another step in the Biden Administration's continued work to identify and track down those responsible for and supporting the trafficking of illicit fentanyl and other deadly drugs. It is also a testament to the importance and value of our international partnerships in dismantling the criminal organizations that support the manufacture, distribution, and financing of illicit fentanyl and other deadly synthetic drugs.