Texas Gov. Greg Abbott of the Republican Party on Wednesday issued an executive order designating As terrorists The Mexican drug cartels, which he describes as a threat to the United States.
Abbott points out that Mexican cartels are responsible for crimes such as trafficking in increasing amounts of fentanyl and smuggling migrants.
Regarding fentanyl, he says that this trafficking is the cause of numerous overdose deaths among Texas citizens.
“More than 1,600 Texans were fatally poisoned in 2021 by drugs containing fentanyl, representing an increase of more than 680% since 2018, and the number of fentanyl deaths continues to grow in 2022,” he says.
Read more: Drug trafficker Rafael Caro Quintero, a fugitive since 2013, arrested
The governor specifically points to the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels, although he adds that the measures that emerge from his executive order also cover any other similar criminal organization.
As part of his instructions, Abbott says the Texas government will open a special division that will gather intelligence that can expedite arrests of people connected to Mexican cartels.
It also mandates “multi-jurisdictional investigations of transnational gangs located in Texas that support the trafficking operations of foreign terrorist organizations,” among other measures.
Since taking office, Abbott has made accusations that Mexico, whether through criminal organizations or migrants, is a danger to Texas security.
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