Mexico bristles at U.S. cartel plan, insists it’s doing its part

MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said yesterday that his government was committed to fighting organized crime, seeking to dispel fears that the United States could take matters in its own hands in the fight against drug cartels.

U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this week that he plans to designate the Mexican cartels as terrorist groups, a move aimed at disrupting their finances by imposing sanctions.

While this does not directly give the United States authority for military operations in Mexico, many Mexicans are nervous their northern neighbor could use it as a pretext for a unilateral invention.

Lopez Obrador reiterated he would not permit an armed foreign intervention a century after the country was last invaded, arguing that his government was already doing its part to battle criminal gangs.

“Armed foreigners cannot intervene in our territory,” he said, instead offering more cooperation with the United States after a series of recent clashes involving drug cartels, security forces and civilians highlighted the power of the gangs.

Lopez Obrador’s government says its priorities are disrupting the cartels’ cash flows and money-laundering opportunities, and halting illegal arms trafficking into Mexico from the United States.

The Mexican Finance Ministry’s financial intelligence unit has frozen the accounts of 771 people and 1,057 companies, with more than 5.3 billion pesos ($274 million) in total, a statement said.