The tariffs will apply to goods from China and other nations. Washington has been pressuring Mexico to move away from dealing with China.

The tariffs will apply to goods from China and other nations. Washington has been pressuring Mexico to move away from dealing with China.

© Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters

Cartel extortion is pushing up prices in Mexico — and becoming a political problem President Claudia Sheinbaum can’t ignore.

Zhi Dong Zhang, who escaped house arrest in Mexico this summer, is accused of supplying cartels with fentanyl from China, smuggling and money laundering millions under the alias “Brother Wang.”