Mexican authorities have seized more than 400,000 fentanyl pills

The statement said the drugs were seized in several operations in Jalisco state in western Mexico, home to the powerful New Generation cartel.

The agency seized “416,751 pills and 6.9 kilograms of fentanyl, 990 pills of acetaminophen” and more than six tons of twenty different chemical precursors, all of which were destroyed.

Mexico has stepped up its operations against the trade in synthetic drugs, especially fentanyl, and US President-elect Donald Trump has stepped up pressure on the issue.

The Republican, who will begin his second term on January 20, has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Mexican exports if the country fails to curb drug trafficking and the flow of illegal immigrants into the US.

Earlier in December, the Mexican government announced the seizure of more than a million fentanyl pills, which Mexico’s security minister, Omar García Harfuch, called “the largest seizure of fentanyl in history.”

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin, has been linked to tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the United States.

Mexico is one of the main routes for drug trafficking and the chemicals for their production, most of which come from China.

Trump has also threatened to raise tariffs on Canada and China over illegal immigration and their alleged role in the U.S. opioid crisis.