{ "Introduction": { "Background": { "text": "
The site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations - including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec - Mexico was conquered and colonized by Spain in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries, it achieved independence early in the 19th century. Elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON, but Enrique PENA NIETO regained the presidency for the PRI in 2012. Left-leaning antiestablishment politician and former mayor of Mexico City (2000-05) Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR, from the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), became president in December 2018.
The global financial crisis in late 2008 caused a massive economic downturn in Mexico the following year. Growth rebounded to about 5% in 2010, but then averaged roughly half that for the rest of the decade. In 2020, with the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, Mexico's GDP contracted by 8.3%, its lowest level since the Great Depression. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, high underemployment, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely indigenous population in the impoverished southern states. Since 2007, Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking organizations have engaged in bloody feuding, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides.
tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts
volcanism: volcanic activity in the central-southern part of the country; the volcanoes in Baja California are mostly dormant; Colima (3,850 m), which erupted in 2010, is Mexico's most active volcano and is responsible for causing periodic evacuations of nearby villagers; it has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Popocatepetl (5,426 m) poses a threat to Mexico City; other historically active volcanoes include Barcena, Ceboruco, El Chichon, Michoacan-Guanajuato, Pico de Orizaba, San Martin, Socorro, and Tacana; see note 2 under \"Geography - note\"
" }, "Geography - note": { "text": "note 1: strategic location on southern border of the US; Mexico is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, a belt of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters bordering the Pacific Ocean; up to 90% of the world's earthquakes and some 75% of the world's volcanoes occur within the Ring of Fire
note 2: some of the world's most important food crops were first domesticated in Mexico; the \"Three Sisters\" companion plants - winter squash, maize (corn), and climbing beans - served as the main agricultural crops for various North American Indian groups; all three apparently originated in Mexico but then were widely disseminated through much of North America; avocado, amaranth, and chili peppers also emanate from Mexico, as does vanilla, the world's most popular aroma and flavor spice; although cherry tomatoes originated in Ecuador, their domestication in Mexico transformed them into the larger modern tomato
note 3: the Sac Actun cave system at 348 km (216 mi) is the longest underwater cave in the world and the second longest cave worldwide, after Mammoth Cave in the United States (see \"Geography - note\" under United States)
note 4: the prominent Yucatan Peninsula that divides the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea is shared by Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize; just on the northern coast of Yucatan, near the town of Chicxulub (pronounce cheek-sha-loob), lie the remnants of a massive crater (some 150 km in diameter and extending well out into the Gulf of Mexico); formed by an asteroid or comet when it struck the earth 66 million years ago, the impact is now widely accepted as initiating a worldwide climate disruption that caused a mass extinction of 75% of all the earth's plant and animal species - including the non-avian dinosaurs
Citizen's Movement (Movimiento Ciudadano) or MC [Clemente CASTANEDA Hoeflich]
Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) or PRI [Claudia RUIZ Massieu]
Labor Party (Partido del Trabajo) or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]
Mexican Green Ecological Party (Partido Verde Ecologista de Mexico) or PVEM [Karen CASTREJON Trujillo]
Movement for National Regeneration (Movimiento Regeneracion Nacional) or MORENA [Mario DELGADO Carillo]
National Action Party (Partido Accion Nacional) or PAN [Antonio CORTES Mendoza]
Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Jesus ZAMBRANO Grijalva]
Together We Make History (Juntos Hacemos Historia) - alliance that includes MORENA, PT, PVEM
This Is For Mexico (Va Por Mexico) – alliance that includes PAN, PRI, and PRD
Mexico's $2.4 trillion economy – 11th largest in the world - has become increasingly oriented toward manufacturing since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) entered into force in 1994. Per capita income is roughly one-third that of the US; income distribution remains highly unequal.
Mexico has become the US' second-largest export market and third-largest source of imports. In 2017, two-way trade in goods and services exceeded $623 billion. Mexico has free trade agreements with 46 countries, putting more than 90% of its trade under free trade agreements. In 2012, Mexico formed the Pacific Alliance with Peru, Colombia, and Chile.
Mexico's current government, led by President Enrique PENA NIETO, has emphasized economic reforms, passing and implementing sweeping energy, financial, fiscal, and telecommunications reform legislation, among others, with the long-term aim to improve competitiveness and economic growth across the Mexican economy. Since 2015, Mexico has held public auctions of oil and gas exploration and development rights and for long-term electric power generation contracts. Mexico has also issued permits for private sector import, distribution, and retail sales of refined petroleum products in an effort to attract private investment into the energy sector and boost production.
Since 2013, Mexico’s economic growth has averaged 2% annually, falling short of private-sector expectations that President PENA NIETO’s sweeping reforms would bolster economic prospects. Growth is predicted to remain below potential given falling oil production, weak oil prices, structural issues such as low productivity, high inequality, a large informal sector employing over half of the workforce, weak rule of law, and corruption. Mexico’s economy remains vulnerable to uncertainty surrounding the future of NAFTA — because the United States is its top trading partner and the two countries share integrated supply chains — and to potential shifts in domestic policies following the inauguration of a new a president in December 2018.
" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": { "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020": { "text": "$2,306,320,000,000 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": { "text": "$2,513,410,000,000 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018": { "text": "$2,514,780,000,000 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2010 dollars" }, "Real GDP growth rate": { "Real GDP growth rate 2019": { "text": "-0.3% (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2018": { "text": "2.19% (2018 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2017": { "text": "2.34% (2017 est.)" } }, "Real GDP per capita": { "Real GDP per capita 2020": { "text": "$17,900 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2019": { "text": "$19,700 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2018": { "text": "$19,900 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2010 dollars" }, "GDP (official exchange rate)": { "text": "$1,269,956,000,000 (2019 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": { "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019": { "text": "3.6% (2019 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018": { "text": "4.9% (2018 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017": { "text": "6% (2017 est.)" } }, "Credit ratings": { "Fitch rating": { "text": "BBB- (2020)" }, "Moody's rating": { "text": "Baa1 (2020)" }, "Standard & Poors rating": { "text": "BBB (2020)" } }, "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": { "agriculture": { "text": "3.6% (2017 est.)" }, "industry": { "text": "31.9% (2017 est.)" }, "services": { "text": "64.5% (2017 est.)" } }, "GDP - composition, by end use": { "household consumption": { "text": "67% (2017 est.)" }, "government consumption": { "text": "11.8% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in fixed capital": { "text": "22.3% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in inventories": { "text": "0.8% (2017 est.)" }, "exports of goods and services": { "text": "37.8% (2017 est.)" }, "imports of goods and services": { "text": "-39.7% (2017 est.)" } }, "Agricultural products": { "text": "sugar cane, maize, milk, oranges, sorghum, tomatoes, poultry, wheat, green chillies/peppers, eggs" }, "Industries": { "text": "food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism" }, "Industrial production growth rate": { "text": "-0.6% (2017 est.)" }, "Labor force": { "text": "50.914 million (2020 est.)" }, "Labor force - by occupation": { "agriculture": { "text": "13.4%" }, "industry": { "text": "24.1%" }, "services": { "text": "61.9% (2011)" } }, "Unemployment rate": { "Unemployment rate 2019": { "text": "3.49% (2019 est.)" }, "Unemployment rate 2018": { "text": "3.33% (2018 est.)" }, "note": "note: underemployment may be as high as 25%" }, "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24": { "total": { "text": "8.1%" }, "male": { "text": "7.8%" }, "female": { "text": "8.7% (2020 est.)" } }, "Population below poverty line": { "text": "41.9% (2018 est.)" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": { "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2018": { "text": "36.8 (2018 est.)" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2008": { "text": "48.3 (2008)" } }, "Household income or consumption by percentage share": { "lowest 10%": { "text": "2%" }, "highest 10%": { "text": "40% (2014)" } }, "Budget": { "revenues": { "text": "261.4 billion (2017 est.)" }, "expenditures": { "text": "273.8 billion (2017 est.)" } }, "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)": { "text": "-1.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt": { "Public debt 2017": { "text": "54.3% of GDP (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt 2016": { "text": "56.8% of GDP (2016 est.)" } }, "Taxes and other revenues": { "text": "22.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Fiscal year": { "text": "calendar year" }, "Current account balance": { "Current account balance 2019": { "text": "-$4.351 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Current account balance 2018": { "text": "-$25.415 billion (2018 est.)" } }, "Exports": { "Exports 2020": { "text": "$434.93 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Exports 2019": { "text": "$492.73 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Exports 2018": { "text": "$480.1 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)" } }, "Exports - partners": { "text": "United States 75% (2019)" }, "Exports - commodities": { "text": "cars and vehicle parts, computers, delivery trucks, crude petroleum, insulated wiring (2019)" }, "Imports": { "Imports 2020": { "text": "$410.66 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Imports 2019": { "text": "$495.79 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Imports 2018": { "text": "$505.05 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)" } }, "Imports - partners": { "text": "United States 54%, China 14% (2019)" }, "Imports - commodities": { "text": "integrated circuits, refined petroleum, cars and vehicle parts, office machinery/parts, telephones (2019)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": { "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017": { "text": "$175.3 billion (31 December 2017 est.)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2016": { "text": "$178.4 billion (31 December 2016 est.)" }, "note": "note: Mexico also maintains access to an $88 million Flexible Credit Line with the IMF" }, "Debt - external": { "Debt - external 2019": { "text": "$456.713 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Debt - external 2018": { "text": "$448.268 billion (2018 est.)" } }, "Exchange rates": { "currency": { "text": "Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar -" }, "Exchange rates 2020": { "text": "19.8 (2020 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2019": { "text": "19.22824 (2019 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2018": { "text": "20.21674 (2018 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2014": { "text": "15.848 (2014 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2013": { "text": "13.292 (2013 est.)" } } }, "Energy": { "Electricity access": { "electrification - total population": { "text": "100% (2020)" } }, "Electricity - production": { "text": "302.7 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - consumption": { "text": "258.7 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - exports": { "text": "7.308 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - imports": { "text": "3.532 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - installed generating capacity": { "text": "72.56 million kW (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - from fossil fuels": { "text": "71% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - from nuclear fuels": { "text": "2% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Electricity - from hydroelectric plants": { "text": "17% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Electricity - from other renewable sources": { "text": "9% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Crude oil - production": { "text": "1.852 million bbl/day (2018 est.)" }, "Crude oil - exports": { "text": "1.214 million bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Crude oil - imports": { "text": "0 bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Crude oil - proved reserves": { "text": "6.63 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - production": { "text": "844,600 bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - consumption": { "text": "1.984 million bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - exports": { "text": "155,800 bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - imports": { "text": "867,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - production": { "text": "31.57 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - consumption": { "text": "81.61 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - exports": { "text": "36.81 million cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - imports": { "text": "50.12 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - proved reserves": { "text": "279.8 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)" } }, "Communications": { "Telephones - fixed lines": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "23,800,105 (2020)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "18.46 (2020 est.)" } }, "Telephones - mobile cellular": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "120,481,969 (2020)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "93.45 (2020 est.)" } }, "Telecommunication systems": { "general assessment": { "text": "with a large population and relatively low broadband and mobile penetration, Mexico’s telecom sector has potential for growth; adequate telephone service for business and government; improving quality and increasing mobile cellular availability, with mobile subscribers far outnumbering fixed-line subscribers; relatively low broadband and mobile penetration, potential for growth and international investment; extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable; 5G development slow in part due to high costs; IXP in Mexico City; exporter of computers and broadcasting equipment to USA and importer of same from China (2020)" }, "domestic": { "text": "fixed-line teledensity exceeds 18 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity is about 93 per 100 persons; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations (2020)" }, "international": { "text": "country code - 52; Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Spain, and Italy; the ARCOS-1 and the MAYA-1 submarine cable system together provide access to Central America, parts of South America and the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 120 (32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America, and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications), 1 Panamsat, numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations); linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections (2016)" }, "note": "note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments" }, "Broadcast media": { "text": "telecom reform in 2013 enabled the creation of new broadcast television channels after decades of a quasi-monopoly; Mexico has 821 TV stations and 1,745 radio stations and most are privately owned; the Televisa group once had a virtual monopoly in TV broadcasting, but new broadcasting groups and foreign satellite and cable operators are now available; in 2016, Mexico became the first country in Latin America to complete the transition from analog to digital transmissions, allowing for better image and audio quality and a wider selection of programming from networks" }, "Internet country code": { "text": ".mx" }, "Internet users": { "total": { "text": "92.01 million (2021 est.)" }, "percent of population": { "text": "71.97% (2020 est.)" } }, "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": { "total": { "text": "21,206,911 (2020)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "16.45 (2020 est.)" } } }, "Transportation": { "National air transport system": { "number of registered air carriers": { "text": "16 (2020)" }, "inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers": { "text": "370" }, "annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "64,569,640 (2018)" }, "annual freight traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "1,090,380,000 mt-km (2018)" } }, "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": { "text": "XA" }, "Airports": { "total": { "text": "1,714 (2013)" } }, "Airports - with paved runways": { "total": { "text": "243" }, "over 3,047 m": { "text": "12" }, "2,438 to 3,047 m": { "text": "32" }, "1,524 to 2,437 m": { "text": "80" }, "914 to 1,523 m": { "text": "86" }, "under 914 m": { "text": "33 (2017)" } }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { "total": { "text": "1,471" }, "over 3,047 m": { "text": "1" }, "2,438 to 3,047 m": { "text": "1" }, "1,524 to 2,437 m": { "text": "42" }, "914 to 1,523 m": { "text": "281" }, "under 914 m": { "text": "1,146 (2013)" } }, "Heliports": { "text": "1 (2013)" }, "Pipelines": { "text": "15,986 km natural gas (2019), 10,365 km oil (2017), 8,946 km refined products (2016)" }, "Railways": { "total": { "text": "20,825 km (2017)" }, "standard gauge": { "text": "20,825 km 1.435-m gauge (27 km electrified) (2017)" } }, "Roadways": { "total": { "text": "398,148 km (2017)" }, "paved": { "text": "174,911 km (includes 10,362 km of expressways) (2017)" }, "unpaved": { "text": "223,237 km (2017)" } }, "Waterways": { "text": "2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals mostly connected with ports on the country's east coast) (2012)" }, "Merchant marine": { "total": { "text": "671" }, "by type": { "text": "container ship 1, bulk carrier 4, general cargo 11, oil tanker 31, other 624 (2021)" } }, "Ports and terminals": { "major seaport(s)": { "text": "Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Veracruz" }, "oil terminal(s)": { "text": "Cayo Arcas terminal, Dos Bocas terminal" }, "cruise port(s)": { "text": "Cancun, Cozumel, Ensenada" }, "container port(s) (TEUs)": { "text": "Lazaro Cardenas (1,318,732), Manzanillo (3,069,189), Veracruz (1,144,156) (2019)" }, "LNG terminal(s) (import)": { "text": "Altamira, Ensenada" } } }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { "text": "Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaria de Defensa Nacional, SEDENA): Army (Ejercito), Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Mexicana, FAM); Secretariat of the Navy (Secretaria de Marina, SEMAR): Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico (ARM), includes Naval Air Force (FAN), Mexican Naval Infantry Corps (Cuerpo de Infanteria de Marina, Mexmar or CIM)); Secretariat of Public Security and Civil Protection: National Guard (2021)", "note": "note - the National Guard was formed in 2019 and consists of personnel from the former Federal Police (disbanded in December 2019) and military police units of the Army and Navy; while the Guard is part of the civilian-led Secretariat of Public Security and Civil Protection, the Secretariat of National Defense has day-to-day operational control; in addition, the armed forces provide the commanders and the training; the Guard, along with state and municipal police are responsible for enforcing the law and maintaining order" }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2021": { "text": "0.7% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2020": { "text": "0.6% of GDP (2020)" }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "0.5% of GDP (2019)" }, "Military Expenditures 2018": { "text": "0.5% of GDP (2018)" }, "Military Expenditures 2017": { "text": "0.5% of GDP (2017)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { "text": "information varies; approximately 223,000 armed forces personnel (160,000 Army; 8,000 Air Force; 55,000 Navy, including about 20,000 marines); approximately 100,000 National Guard (2021)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the Mexican military inventory includes a mix of domestically-produced and imported equipment from a variety of mostly Western suppliers; since 2010, the US is the leading supplier of military hardware to Mexico; Mexico's defense industry produces naval vessels and light armored vehicles (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18 years of age for compulsory military service for males (selection for service determined by lottery); conscript service obligation is 12 months; those selected serve on Saturdays in a Batallón del Servicio Militar Nacional (National Military Service Battalion) composed entirely of one-year Servicio Militar Nacional (SMN) conscripts; conscripts remain in reserve status until the age of 40; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary enlistment; cadets enrolled in military schools from the age of 15 are considered members of the armed forces; women are eligible for voluntary military service (2021)", "note": "note - as of 2018, women comprised about 9% of the active duty military" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the constitution was amended in 2019 to grant the president the authority to use the armed forces to protect internal and national security, and courts have upheld the legality of the armed forces’ role in law enforcement activities in support of civilian authorities through 2024; under these authorities, President LOPEZ OBRADOR has expanded the Mexican military's role in public security duties and other internal tasks; as of 2021, Mexican military operations were heavily focused on internal security duties, particularly in countering drug cartels and organized crime groups, as well as border control and immigration enforcement; in addition, the military has been placed in charge of some infrastructure projects, such as building a new airport for Mexico City and sections of a train line in the country’s southeast; in mid-2020, the armed forces were directed to administer the country’s land and sea ports and customs services in order to fight crime and corruption; the military also runs approximately 2,700 branches of a state-owned bank" } }, "Transnational Issues": { "Disputes - international": { "text": "abundant rainfall in recent years along much of the Mexico-US border region has ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing arrangements; the US has intensified security measures to monitor and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and commodities across its border with Mexico; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the US; Belize and Mexico are working to solve minor border demarcation discrepancies arising from inaccuracies in the 1898 border treaty
" }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { "text": "22,254 (Honduras), 10,662 (El Salvador) (mid-year 2021); 82,976 (Venezuela) (economic and political crisis; includes Venezuelans who have claimed asylum, are recognized as refugees, or have received alternative legal stay) (2021)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "357,000 (government's quashing of Zapatista uprising in 1994 in eastern Chiapas Region; drug cartel violence and government's military response since 2007; violence between and within indigenous groups) (2020)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "13 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "major source and transit country for heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, and illicit synthetic drugs including fentanyl and counterfeit pills destined for the United States; main transit country for cocaine from South America, a transit route and destination for fentanyl and associated precursors originating from China
" } } }