International
Mexico announces reforms against “external interference”, after the US designated the cartels as terrorists
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Thursday two reforms to the Constitution against “external interference” and to impose the “most severe penalty” on foreigners who intervene in Mexico after the United States declared six drug trafficking cartels terrorists.
In addition, the president reaffirmed in her morning conference that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) will expand its lawsuit against manufacturers and sellers of weapons in the United States to accuse them of accomplices in terrorism after this classification.
“What we want to make clear in the face of this designation is that we do not negotiate sovereignty, this cannot be an opportunity on the part of the US to invade our sovereignty, so they can give them the name they decide, but with Mexico it is collaboration and coordination, never subordination, not interference and less invasion,” he said.
Sheinbaum asked that “it be clear” that “there is no interference, there is no violation of sovereignty” despite the fact that the US State Department considers from now on the Sinaloa, Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), the Gulf, the Northeast, the New Michoacana Family and the United Cartels as terrorists.
“Both countries want to fight organized crime groups that commit illegal acts in both countries, and there we are working very well on coordination, but we have to guarantee that it is under collaboration and coordination, never violating Mexico’s sovereignty in any way,” he said.
The change to article 40 of the Constitution will reinforce that “the people of Mexico under no circumstances will accept interventions, intrusions or any other act from abroad that is detrimental to the integrity, independence and sovereignty of the Nation,” said the president.
This includes “coups d’état, interference in elections or the violation of Mexican territory, be it by land, water, sea or airspace.”
“Nor will he consent to any intervention in investigation and prosecution without the authorization and express collaboration of the Mexican State, within the framework of the applicable laws,” according to the head of the Executive.
Meanwhile, article 19 will warn that “any foreigner who carries out activities outside the law, linked” to these interferences, “will be imposed the most severe punishment possible, as well as unofficial preventive detention.”
After the appointment, the president raised her claims to the United States arms industry, the origin of almost three out of four weapons used by organized crime in Mexico, according to a report by the Department of Justice in January.
The reform to article 19 also proposes that “any national or foreign national linked in the manufacture, distribution, alienation, transfer or internationalization to national territory in an illicit manner of weapons” shall be “imposed the most severe possible penalty”.
While the Foreign Ministry will expand the lawsuit it filed during the Government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024) against American manufacturers and sellers of weapons, which it accuses of knowingly selling these supplies to cartels in Mexico.
“Given this appointment, there must be a link between those who sell weapons to these criminal groups that today have been cataloged with this name by the US Government, so there will be an expansion of this demand for complicity of those who sell weapons that are introduced” to Mexico, he said.
International
El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges
Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, pleaded guilty on Monday to drug trafficking charges in a U.S. court, months after his brother Ovidio reached a similar plea agreement, according to local media reports.
The defendant appeared before a federal court in Chicago early Monday afternoon and changed his previous plea in the case, the Chicago Tribune reported. U.S. authorities accuse him of forming, together with his three brothers, the cartel faction known as “Los Chapitos.”
The group is believed to have continued the operations of El Chapo, who has been serving a life sentence in the United States since 2019.
Guzmán López, 39, was arrested after landing in Texas in a small aircraft alongside cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
International
Venezuela authorizes return flights as U.S. continues deportations amid rising tensions
The arrival of U.S. aircraft carrying undocumented Venezuelan migrants continued regularly despite rising tensions between Washington and Caracas over President Donald Trump’s military deployment in the Caribbean.
Trump maintains that the deployment is part of an anti-narcotics operation, while Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro insists the true objective is to remove him from power and seize the nation’s oil resources.
Venezuela’s aviation authority has “received a request from the United States government to resume repatriation flights for Venezuelan migrants from that country to Venezuela,” the Ministry of Transportation said in a statement .
“Under the instructions of President Nicolás Maduro, authorization has been granted for these aircraft to enter our airspace,” it added.
Caracas will permit two Eastern Airlines flights to land on Wednesday and Friday.
Migration remains one of the Trump administration’s flagship issues. On Monday, the U.S. president held a meeting with his National Security Council to discuss the situation in Venezuela, a day after confirming he had spoken with Maduro by phone, without offering further details.
According to the Venezuelan government, roughly 75 deportation flights have been carried out this year, returning at least 13,956 Venezuelans from the United States.
International
20,000 rounds stolen from german army after driver leaves cargo unattended
The German army confirmed the theft of a shipment of ammunition that occurred a week ago while it was being transported by a civilian delivery driver, a military spokesperson told AFP, confirming earlier media reports.
According to Der Spiegel and the regional broadcaster MDR, around 20,000 rounds of ammunition were stolen from an unguarded parking lot near Magdeburg, in eastern Germany, while the driver was asleep in a nearby hotel. No information has been released regarding the identity of the suspects, and the military declined to specify the exact type or amount of ammunition taken.
Authorities have also not indicated how the perpetrators knew the cargo would be left unattended.
“The theft was discovered upon delivery at the barracks,” the German army spokesperson said.
A police spokeswoman confirmed to AFP that an investigation has been opened but refused to provide further details “for tactical reasons.”
Sources close to the German military, cited by Der Spiegel, believe it is unlikely the theft was a coincidence. They suspect the thieves waited for the driver to stop for the night before striking.
Der Spiegel also reported that the Defense Ministry normally requires two drivers for this type of transport to ensure the cargo is constantly monitored. However, in this case only one driver was assigned, meaning the civilian transport company failed to comply with the security protocols.
El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges
Venezuela authorizes return flights as U.S. continues deportations amid rising tensions
20,000 rounds stolen from german army after driver leaves cargo unattended
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
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