Plastic bags of fentanyl displayed on a table at the US Customs and Border Protection area at the International Mail Facility at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, US (Reuters)

US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar stated that fentanyl, a dangerous narcotic that has killed tens of thousands of Americans, should be combated in a way similar to that used in the fight against COVID-19.

Salazar's remarks came two days after US and Mexican security officials met in Washington to resolve differences about how to combat the trafficking of drugs and weapons.

"The world has to unite, this is not just about the United States and Mexico. The governments of Europe are seeing what is happening with fentanyl. We know that other countries in Latin America are now looking at it with much more interest because it is a poison," Salazar said.

Since the majority of the substance allegedly enters the United States through Mexican ports, fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has the potential to be up to 50 times more potent than heroin, has become a significant source of friction between the two countries.

"Five years ago there was not much talk about fentanyl. Now it is being talked about all over the world," Salazar added.

The US Justice Department indicted 28 people for fentanyl trafficking on Friday, among them the four sons of jailed US drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and suppliers of precursor chemicals.

It is worth noting that two-thirds of the 107,735 drug overdose deaths reported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between August 2021 and August 2022 were synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl.