U.S. drug czar prays before image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico

Sara Carter, director of the U.S. government’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, recently visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, where she stated that with God’s blessing, “the plague of the cartels and the poisons they inflict on us and our children” will be overcome.

On Feb. 26, Carter visited the basilica, the site that houses the original tilma of St. Juan Diego, upon which the Virgin of Guadalupe’s image is imprinted.

Carter’s visit last week follows the operation carried out on Feb. 22 in the state of Jalisco, which resulted in the capture and subsequent death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

At a press conference on Feb. 23, Omar García Harfuch, Mexico’s secretary of security and citizen protection, indicated that the capture of the drug kingpin was also made possible thanks to information provided by U.S. authorities.

Faith, a ‘cornerstone’ against addiction

The released photographs show Carter at various points within the Marian shrine, accompanied by Father Martín Muñoz López, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Mexico City and canon of the basilica.

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The post was accompanied by a message in which the official stated that “faith remains a cornerstone in the fight against drug addiction — guiding prevention, healing, and recovery for communities everywhere.”

In another image, in which she appears at the feet of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Carter affirmed that faith “is not only the cornerstone of my life, but our National Drug Control strategy.”

“I pray for the people of the United States and Mexico who are under the protection of Our Lady of Guadalupe. With God’s blessings and his providence, we will overcome the plague of cartels and the poisons they inflict on us and our children,” Carter said.

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Bilateral security meetings

The day before, on Feb. 25, Carter met with Mexico’s security cabinet, along with U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson.

Those participating in the meeting included Secretary of National Defense General Ricardo Trevilla; Secretary of the Navy Admiral Raymundo Morales; Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch; Secretary of the Interior Rosa Icela Rodríguez; and Attorney General of the Republic Ernestina Godoy, as well as members of the U.S. delegation.

Following the meeting, Johnson stated that both governments are working “together to stop the scourge of fentanyl and dismantle the networks that are poisoning our communities.”

It was also reported that the director met with Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente and Undersecretary Roberto Velasco Álvarez as part of the bilateral agenda on cooperation and combating drug trafficking.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.