Sheinbaum criticized DEA Administrator Terry Cole’s comments as baseless “political statements” about Mexico.
Published July 15, 2026
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has rejected claims by the head of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that there are deadly ties between the Mexican government and the country’s influential criminal cartels.
Sheinbaum pushed back at his daily press conference Wednesday, saying the DEA’s statements appeared “more like a political statement than one backed by evidence.”
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He added that the DEA should focus on combating drug trafficking, distribution and money laundering within the country. The United States is the world’s largest market for illegal drugs, she noted.
Sheinbaum has repeatedly faced accusations under US President Donald Trump that the country is “run” by cartels.
Several members of the Trump administration have echoed that assertion. For example, on Tuesday, DEA Administrator Terry Cole said the Mexican government and cartel networks are “one and the same.”
The Mexican government countered that Cole’s comments did not reflect efforts to work with the United States to fight cartels.
He added that Mexico is ready to cooperate with the United States to fight crime as long as its sovereignty is respected.
Since President Trump took office for his second term, Sheinbaum has been under pressure from his northern neighbor to crack down on crime in the country.
In response, she pledged close cooperation with the United States, while pushing back against President Trump’s militaristic approach to Latin America.
The administration has repeatedly rejected the possibility of the United States conducting military operations on its territory without federal consent.
At first, President Trump and President Sheinbaum appeared to have a warm relationship, with President Trump praising the Mexican president as “amazing.”
But Sheinbaum has become increasingly critical of the Trump administration in recent months.
For example, in April, she criticized the United States for indicting Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha amid allegations that his campaign collaborated with the Sinaloa Cartel to violently influence the 2021 gubernatorial election.
Sheinbaum said no evidence has emerged to support the U.S. allegations against Rocha. She also argued that eradicating corruption is a domestic and not an international issue.
Earlier this week, Mexico filed criminal charges with U.S. prosecutors over the deaths of Mexican nationals involved in President Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
Sheinbaum’s comments Wednesday came as the U.S. Treasury Department announced it had designated two more Mexican criminal organizations, the Juarez Cartel and Los Biagras, as “foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorist organizations.”
The Trump administration has made such designations in the past, seeking to frame its actions in Latin America as a war on so-called “narco-terrorists.”
