Mexico Canada seek to forestall Trump s tariffs with anti drug efforts

WASHINGTON - Canada and Mexico on Friday sought to show U.S. President Donald Trumps administration evidence of progress in curbing the flow of fentanyl opioids into the U.S. ahead of a March 4 deadline for punishing 25% tariffs on their goods imports.

Canadian and Mexican officials were expected to meet separately with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and other senior Trump administration officials to try to forestall the tariffs.

Trump on Thursday reaffirmed the deadline next Tuesday for imposing the duties on more than $900 billion worth of annual imports from Canada and Mexico and said he would double his 10% tariff on Chinese goods on that date, citing insufficient progress in reducing fentanyl overdose deaths in the U.S.

Mexico on Thursday staged its largest mass extradition of suspected drug cartel members in 10 years, including a 1980s kingpin who spent decades in prison for the murder of a U.S. drug enforcement agent and 28 other suspects.

Rafael Caro Quintero, 72, was due to be arraigned in federal court on U.S. drug trafficking charges on Friday. The extradited suspects included younger leaders accused of moving fentanyl into the U.S.

Mexicos Deputy Economy Minister Vidal Llerenas said on Thursday that Mexico could adopt other trade measures beyond the recent tariffs it imposed on certain imports to reduce low-value shipments from China.

The U.S. earlier this month moved to suspend the de minimis duty-free exemption for packages valued below $800 that has allowed fentanyl and its precursor chemicals to arrive unscreened through U.S. airports and border crossings.

But as packages piled up, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency paused the suspension until it could put effective screening measures in place.

ZELENSKIY VISIT

On Friday, however, Trump and his top economic officials are more likely to be consumed