Fentanyl Crisis / Mexico-Toluca Interurban Train

Fentanyl Crisis. The Commander of the National Guard, David Córdova Campos, reported that from December 2018 to Sept. 4, 2023, 7,689kg of fentanyl have been seized.

Fentanyl represents one of the most critical healthcare issues for Mexico and the US, becoming a key discussion topic for both countries. According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), fentanyl is a synthetic opioid considered to be 30 to 50 times stronger than heroin and 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. In 2021, there were approximately 70,000 deaths in the US related to fentanyl and in 2022, fentanyl deaths accounted for 66% percent of drug-related deaths in that country. With the price of fentanyl being at its lowest, consumption is increasing in Mexico and the US, according to authorities. 

Chocolate Cars. Minister of Security Rosa Icela Rodríguez announced that, so far, 1,751,163 vehicles have been regularized through the import program. 

Although, initially, the initiative was only valid for one year, expiring on Dec. 31, 2022, the president has decided to extend the life of the strategy for more months. The extension will continue in 14 states, where these types of vehicles transit the most, including Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa and Zacatecas.

Mexico-Toluca Interurban Train. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador stressed that the Mexico-Toluca Interurban Train project will be inaugurated in September.

More than a decade after breaking ground, the will be inaugurated on Sept. 14, 2023. According to the original plan, the train was supposed to run from Zinacantepec in the State of Mexico to Mexico City’s Metro Observatorio station. However, the project will only run through the State of Mexico’s four correspondent stations, for the time being. Delays in Mexico City’s segment have been mainly due to obstacles in the right-of-way granting process and problems regarding the original project’s budget. Nonetheless, both SICT and López Obrador assured that the project will be fully operational by June 2024.