Agency to Combat Smuggling/New Home for Health Ministry

National Customs Agency. A decree was published yesterday announcing the creation of the National Customs Agency of Mexico, which will be under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) but operated by the Armed Forces to combat smuggling and corruption. “We are going to strengthen land and sea customs, with the support of the Ministry of Defense (SEDENA) and with the support of the Ministry of the Navy (SEMAR). We have to combat smuggling, continue to fight smuggling, the introduction of drugs, tax evasion and continue cleaning up all customs agencies in the country ... Customs are always coveted by corruption, we had already started with the delivery of the ports to the Ministry of the Navy. Before, the ports were a (bounty for corruption); we are putting in order and now it is our turn to do the same with customs and that is what we are going to do,” said President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Classes without risk. López Obrador said that students would return to classes because there will be no problems related to COVID-19 infections that could put students, teachers, and educational personnel at risk since the pandemic “affects older people more.” He added that, “by then, we will not have contagion problems that could put children, young people, teachers, teachers, educational personnel at risk, because it has been proven that the pandemic affects older people more. By then, we will have vaccinated all older adults.” Nothing can replace in-person schools, he added.

Violence in Chiapas. Given recent violent attacks in Pantelho, Chiapas, by a new group of armed civilians calling themselves self-defense groups, the president said that, “What is happening in Pantelho and other places where there are groups that are acting violently do not represent any risk to stability and governability ... These are people who are opting for violence in that region, but we are already acting.” The new group is called “El Machete” and its purpose is to expel hitmen, drug traffickers and organized crime that has led to the deaths of indigenous peasants. The same group has warned the president and Gov. Rutilio Escandón not to send in the National Guard, the Mexican Army or the state police to arrest them.

Moving from the Ministry of Health. López Obrador announced that given the drop in infections in Guerrero, the federal Ministry of Health (SSA) would begin moving to Guerrero. “In Acapulco, there is a building available. Now that the contagion is decreasing, that we have a little more peace of mind with regard to to the pandemic, which has lessened, we have begun to move the Ministry of Health to Guerrero,” López Obrador said.

Supply of medicines. The government will release its drug supply plan to the public after criticisms of the administrations drug procurement policy and previous medicine shortages. “Next week, the entire drug supply plan will be presented; here we are going to present it. It will cost us a lot, not economically, but to straighten out that mess, because those who sold drugs to the government are well rooted,” López Obrador said. He added that the biggest problem is the monopoly of medicines and corruption.

Silvano Aureoles. López Obrador will not receive the governor of Michoacan, Silvano Aureoles, due to the politicization of the elections in the state. “That the electoral process ends, that the elections are qualified and then we will see. I do not want to produce harsh debates or a spectacle here. We must take care of the presidential inauguration; it is not Andrés Manuel but what we represent,” López Obrador said. The decision was made after Aureoles announced that he would report to the UN, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) and the United States government the alleged participation of drug trafficking gangs in the midterm elections.

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Click HERE for full transcript in Spanish