These are the trending news headlines in Mexico on Thursday April 6, 2023

Mexico’s President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has asked China for help to control shipments of fentanyl into the country, following a surge in overdose deaths in the US that has been blamed on the synthetic opioid. In a letter to President Xi Jinping, he defended Mexico's efforts to curb the drug’s supply, while criticizing US politicians who have called for military intervention in Mexico. Lopez Obrador asked Xi to provide information on when and where fentanyl is being sent, as well as how much and by whom. He also said that Mexico does not produce fentanyl, and that cartels buy it directly from Asia. The US has accused Mexico of failing to stop drug cartels from producing and moving the drug north, with some politicians suggesting designating Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has criticized the felony charges brought against former U.S. President Donald Trump, stating that legal issues should not be used for political gain. Trump was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, relating to allegations he orchestrated hush-money payments to two women before the 2016 U.S. election. Lopez Obrador, who had a friendly working relationship with Trump, compared his case to that of former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo, who was removed from office and arrested after trying to dissolve congress. Lopez Obrador's defense of Trump may be personal, stemming from his own experiences with judicial processes that he perceived as politically motivated.

In the popular Mexican resort of Cancun, a shooting involving suspected drug dealers has claimed four lives on a beach in the city's hotel zone. This latest outbreak of violence coincides with the Easter holiday period when tourists flock to Mexico's Riviera Maya. Authorities have detained two suspects, apparently related to drug dealing activities. Mexico has long been plagued by cartel-related bloodshed, with over 300,000 people killed since the government deployed the military in the so-called war on drugs in 2006. While the state of Quintana Roo is generally considered safer than other parts of the country, violence linked to gang turf wars has increased in recent years, leading to heightened security measures. This incident follows other recent violent incidents in Cancun and Tulum, including the deaths of two tourists and two suspected drug dealers.

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