The Mexico State has faced a wave of violence in the past year between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel and as authorities try to wrest back control of the area. File
| Photo Credit: AFP

A Dutch drug trafficker who was one of Europe’s most wanted criminals and once reportedly faked his own death has been murdered in Mexico, an official said Friday.

Marco Ebben, 32, was shot on Thursday in Atizapan de Zaragoza, a municipality about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the capital Mexico City.

Experts confirmed Ebben’s identity, an official at the state prosecutor’s office told AFP, asking not to be named because they were not authorized to talk about the case.

European law enforcement agency Europol listed Ebben as one of Europe’s “most wanted fugitives” for smuggling drugs from Brazil to the Netherlands.

Its website says he was sentenced in October 2020 to more than seven years in prison.

Between 2014 and 2015, Ebben and his accomplices allegedly smuggled 400 kilos of cocaine in containers filled with pineapples, according to Europol.

To evade arrest, the Dutchman reportedly faked his death last October in the Mexican cartel stronghold of Culiacan amid a turf war between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.

According to local media, Ebben was accused of links to one of the factions but no evidence of his death was found at the time, except for a statement from an alleged girlfriend who claimed to have recognized the body.

The violence in Sinaloa follows the surprise arrest on US soil of cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in late July, which is believed to have unleashed an internal power struggle.

Mexican authorities said Friday they had arrested a suspected Sinaloa Cartel drug trafficker active in the northern state of Chihuahua who was wanted by the United States. Local media identified him as Humberto Rivera, alias “El Chato,” “El Don” or “El Viejon.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Brussels had until now indicated it hoped to avoid a trade conflict with Mr. Trump through negotiation. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The European Union on Sunday (February 2, 2025) blasted U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, and said the 27-nation bloc would hit back “firmly” if targeted.

Brussels had until now indicated it hoped to avoid a trade conflict with Mr. Trump through negotiation.

But on Friday (January 31, 2025) the U.S. leader doubled down by saying he “absolutely” planned to target the EU in future, as he slapped levies on his north American neighbours and China.

“The European Union regrets the U.S. decision to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China,” said a spokesman for the European Commission.

“Tariffs create unnecessary economic disruption and drive inflation. They are hurtful to all sides.”

The spokesman said “the EU would respond firmly to any trading partner that unfairly or arbitrarily imposes tariffs on EU goods”.

“At this time, we are not aware of any additional tariffs being imposed on EU products,” he added.

He said the 27-nation EU remained committed to low tariffs as a way to “drive growth and economic stability within a strong, rules-based trading system”.

And he reiterated the EU’s commitment to its trade and investment relationship with the United States — “the biggest in the world”.

“There is a lot at stake,” said the spokesman. “We should both be looking at strengthening this relationship.”

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum were quick to respond to US President Donald Trump’s tariffs with their own measures, with the tit-for-tat moves likely to impact global supply chains significantly.

Trudeau said Canada will impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian $155 billion in US imports, adding that Canadian $30 billion would take effect from Tuesday and the rest in 21 days. China too vowed “corresponding countermeasures” against the new tariffs.

Sheinbaum, meanwhile, said she had told her economy minister “to implement Plan B that we have been working on, which includes tariff and non-tariff measures in defense of Mexico’s interests”. She also hit back at Washington’s accusation that her government has an “intolerable alliance” with drug trafficking groups. “We categorically reject the slander made by the White House against the Mexican government about alliances with criminal organisations,” Sheinbaum wrote on social media platform X. 

Trump has signed an executive order imposing 25 per cent tariffs on all goods from Canada and Mexico starting on Tuesday except Canadian energy products, which will be subject to a 10 per cent duty. Citing a “major threat” from illegal immigration and drugs, he also imposed an additional 10 per cent tariff on good from China, which already face various duties.

Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in imposing the tariffs, with the White House saying “the extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, constitutes a national emergency”. The aim is to hold all three countries “accountable to their promises of halting illegal immigration and stopping poisonous fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into our country,” the White House added.

He has also pledged to impose duties on the European Union in the future. He has also promised tariffs on semiconductors, steel, aluminum, as well as oil and gas. “Tariffs are a powerful, proven source of leverage for protecting the national interest,” the White House said.

US imports from Canada and Mexico covered nearly $900 billion in goods as of 2023, and supply lines between the three North American neighbors — who share a trade agreement — are deeply integrated. Mexico and Canada also account for significant US agriculture imports, meaning the duties could add to prices of popular foods like avocados and tomatoes. Nearly 80 percent of Canadian goods exports go to the United States, amounting to some $410 billion in value, according to Statistics Canada.

Mexico’s exports to the United States represented 84 percent of the goods it sold to the world last year, according to its National Institute of Statistics, amounting to over $510 billion. More than 80 percent of US avocados come from Mexico — meaning higher import costs could push up prices of items like guacamole.

Donald Trump is expected to sign an order imposing hefty new tariffs of 25% on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% on imports from China. File
| Photo Credit: AP

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to sign an order on Saturday (February 1, 2025) imposing hefty new tariffs of 25% on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% on imports from China, potentially disrupting more than $2.1 trillion worth of annual trade.

Mr. Trump, who is working from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida this weekend, said on Friday (January 31, 2025) that there was little that the top three U.S. trading partners could do to forestall the tariffs.

He set the February 1 deadline to push them to take strong action to halt the flow of fentanyl and precursor chemicals into the U.S. from China via Mexico and Canada, as well as to stop illegal immigrants from crossing southern and northern U.S. borders.

But during a lengthy White House exchange with reporters, Mr. Trump brushed aside the notion that his tariff threats were merely bargaining tools.

“No, it’s not … we have big (trade) deficits with, as you know, with all three of them.”

He also said that revenue was a factor and the tariffs may be increased, adding: “But it’s a lot of money coming to the United States.”

Mr. Trump did, however, reference a potential carve out for oil from Canada, saying that tariff rate would be 10% versus the 25% planned for other Canadian imports. But he indicated wider tariffs on oil and natural gas would be coming in mid-February, remarks that sent oil prices higher.

Crude oil is the top U.S. import from Canada, reaching nearly $100 billion in 2023, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Higher costs

Mr. Trump acknowledged that the steep duties could result in higher costs being passed on to consumers and that his actions may cause disruptions in the short term, but said he was not concerned about their impact on financial markets.

Jake Colvin, president of the National Foreign Trade Council, which represents major U.S. companies on trade matters, said imposing tariffs on key U.S. trading partners “could impact the cost and availability of everything from avocados to air conditioners to cars and risks shifting the focus of our relationships away from constructive dialogue.”

Although Mr. Trump speaks of “charging” other nations for tariffs, they are paid by importing companies and sometimes passed on to consumers.

Automakers would be particularly hit hard by higher costs, through tariffs on vehicles assembled in Canada and Mexico. Their vast regional supply chain, where components can cross borders several times before final assembly, would further exacerbate these costs.

And Mr. Trump said that more tariffs are coming, saying import taxes were being considered on European goods, as well as on steel, aluminum and copper, and on drugs and semiconductors.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the tariffs would be implemented immediately, and details would be published on Saturday (February 1, 2025).

Retaliation expected

Mr. Trump’s move is expected to draw retaliatory tariffs, potentially disrupting more than $2.1 trillion in annual two-way U.S. trade with its top three trading partners.

Canada has drawn up detailed targets for immediate tariff retaliation, including duties on Florida orange juice, a source familiar with the plan said.

Canada has a broader list of targets that could reach C$150 billion ($103 billion) worth of U.S. imports, but would hold public consultations before acting, the source said.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has also threatened retaliation, but said she would “wait with a cool head” for Mr. Trump’s tariff decision and was prepared to continue a border dialogue with him.

China has been more circumspect about its retaliation plans, but has vowed to respond to defend its trade interests.

China “firmly opposes” Mr. Trump’s new duties, a spokesperson for Beijing’s embassy in Washington said, adding: “There is no winner in a trade war or tariff war, which serves the interests of neither side nor the world.”

Mexico builds temporary shelters to to prepare for mass deportations from the US. (File)

US President Donald Trump will send 1,500 more soldiers to the border with Mexico as part of a flurry of steps to tackle immigration, his spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

“President Trump signed an executive order for 1,500 additional troops for the United States’ southern border,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)