A prominent senator in Mexico has asserted that U.S. President Donald Trump is right in claiming that drug cartels have significant control in the country.
In a video posted online, Mexican Senator Lily Telles stated, “He is not lying. This is the truth and the Mexican people know it. For honest, hard-working, good Mexicans with good values, this is nothing to be ashamed of. It exposes the MORENA government for what it is.”
Telles, who represents the opposition PAN (National Action Party), emphasized that the cartels could not maintain their influence without the help of corrupt politicians in Mexico.
“Claudia (Sheinbaum), you do not represent the Mexican people,” she remarked. “You represent the MORENA cartel… You have no dignity at all.”
She accused both former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and current President Claudia Sheinbaum of collaborating with drug cartels, asserting this has turned Mexico into a drug state. Telles claimed U.S. authorities have solid evidence supporting this view, noting that Trump has repeatedly stated that cartels effectively govern Mexico.
“The cartel issue didn’t start with the Morena party, but under their leadership, their influence has expanded to a point where they (the government) have surrendered their territory and sovereignty.”
Telles also referred to the recent case involving Alfonso Romo, López Obrador’s ex-chief of staff, whose bank was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for allegedly aiding cartels in money laundering. She highlighted how the Sheinbaum administration quickly defended the bank, claiming no wrongdoing had occurred and that the U.S. had not presented any evidence.
Additionally, she brought up Adan Augusto López, a former interior secretary and current representative of Sheinbaum in the Senate, calling him the “godfather” of a new faction within the Jalisco cartel. It has been reported that a close friend of his, the former police chief from Tabasco, is facing charges relating to cartel activities.
Telles also mentioned López Obrador’s son, Andres López Beltrán, alleging his involvement in the large-scale theft of fuel known as Huachicol, which allegedly operated with organized crime’s backing and Sheinbaum’s support.
She warned that anyone who speaks against the MORENA party risks violence or even death.
Telles recounted her own experience with violence, recalling her past as a news anchor in Mexico and surviving an assassination attempt by cartel members in 2000 after uncovering links between organized crime and a high-ranking prosecutor in Mexico City. “I wasn’t in an armored vehicle. I’m alive by the grace of God,” she stated.
