On July 25, 2023 Mexico’s Secretary of Security Rosa Icela Rodriguez hosted Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristie Canegallo, U.S. Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall and Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor Jody Thomas (virtually) in the second meeting of the Trilateral Fentanyl Committee to propel and expand actions on our shared commitment to combat the trafficking of synthetic drugs.
President Joe Biden, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau established this trilateral Committee, comprising high-level representatives from the three countries, during the North American Leaders’ Summit on January 9-10, 2023, to guide priority actions to address the illicit fentanyl threat facing North America.
The three co-chairs reaffirmed commitments to jointly confront the deadly scourge of synthetic drugs, and discussed the steps we are taking to fulfill them, including by: 1) intensifying and expanding prosecution of drug traffickers and dismantling criminal networks; 2) targeting the supply of precursor chemicals used to make illicit fentanyl and inviting action by private chemical and shipping companies to prevent diversion; 3) preventing the trafficking of drugs across our borders; and 4) promoting public health services to reduce harm and demand, educate individuals on the risks of substance use, and provide treatment to those seeking it.
The three delegations committed to create an expert working group to identify challenges related to our respective legislative and regulatory frameworks associated with precursor chemicals, and related equipment. The three countries also committed to establishing an agile mechanism to promptly share emerging illegal drugs and drug trafficking trends.
The three countries committed to continue working together to expand international support to address the threat of synthetic drugs, building on the very strong collaboration of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, and working through the new Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats. To that end, the three countries committed to present progress on their joint efforts within the Trilateral Fentanyl Committee to Coalition partners at the next meeting of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.
Representing Mexico were the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Rosa Icela Rodríguez; the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Alicia Bárcena Ibarra; the Secretary of the Interior, Luisa María Alcalde Luján; the Secretary of National Defense, Gen. Luis Cresencio Sandoval González; the Secretary of the Navy, Adm. José Rafael Ojeda Durán; Secretary of Health, Dr. Jorge Alcocer Varela; the General Attorney of the Republic, Alejandro Gertz Manero; Chief Officer for North America, Roberto Velasco Álvarez; Ambassador of Mexico to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma Barragán; Ambassador of Mexico to Canada, Carlos Joaquín González (virtual); Deputy Commissioner of the National Migration Institute, Alejandro Tagle Marroquin; the General Secretary of the National Intelligence Center, Saúl Parra Ibarra; the fiscal Attorney General, Arturo Medina Padilla; the head of the Financial Intelligence Unit, Pablo Gómez Álvarez; and the spokesperson for the Mexican Government, Jesús Ramírez Cuevas.
The U.S. delegation was led by the White House Homeland Security Advisor, Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall; and included the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar; the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, Richard Verma; the Deputy Attorney General, Lisa O. Monaco; the Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristie Canegallo; the Senior Advisor to the Director of National Drug Control Policy, Kemp Chester; the Department of Justice Senior Counsel Joshua Handell; and U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission in Mexico, Mark C. Johnson.
Canada was represented by the National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister, Jody Thomas (virtually); the Associate Deputy Minister of Public Safety Canada, Tricia Geddes; the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for Crime Prevention at Public Safety Canada, Talal Dakalbab; the Chargé d’Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission of Canada in Mexico, Shauna Hemingway; the Executive Director of the Opioid Response Team at Health Canada, Jennifer Novak; the Senior Policy Advisor to the National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister, Shannon Partridge; the Counsellor for Intergovernmental Affairs at the Canadian Embassy in Mexico, Lucie Verreault; and the Public Safety Canada Counsellor at the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C., Michael Holmes.
