The report from Animal Político also points out that, while Americans may be the foreigners most likely to commit crimes in Mexico, they are also the most likely to fall victim to organized crime, with more than 700 US citizens reported as missing or disappeared.
According to an investigation by local news site Animal Político, which cited Foia (Freedom of Information Act) requests, open-source data, and interviews with local authorities, during the presidency of López Obrador, 2,500 Americans were arrested for crimes such as drug trafficking, compared to just 449 during the previous administration of Enrique Peña Nieto.
On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order designating certain drug cartels as ‘“foreign terrorist organizations.” Trump also threatned a 25% tariff on all goods flowing from Mexico and Canada, “because of the major threat of illegal aliens and deadly drugs killing our citizens”.
The number of Americans arrested in Mexico for offenses related to organized crime increased by 457% – or nearly sixfold – during the 2018-24 presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador compared to his predecessor, according to a new report.
US arrests in Mexico for cartel-related crimes soared under Amlo, study finds Sixfold rise from days of Peña Nieto suggests Americans have increasingly become pawns for criminal drug gangs.
