Fentanyl on the frontline

Members of the Mexican Army patrolling the streets in Apatzingan, Mexico. The United States is escalating pressure on the Mexican government to permit the US military to target fentanyl labs, according to American officials. — Adriana Zehbrauskas/The New York Times

THE United States is intensifying pressure on Mexico to allow US military forces to conduct joint operations to dismantle fentanyl labs inside the country, according to US officials.

The push comes as President Donald Trump presses on the Mexican government to grant the United States a larger role in the battle against drug cartels that produce fentanyl and smuggle it into the United States.