FILE PHOTO: An agent of the office of the Attorney General of Mexico carries a package of seized marijuana at the site of a passageway Mexican authorities on Thursday attributed to the cartel of fugitive kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in Tijuana, October 24, 2015. REUTERS/Jorge Duenes/File Photo

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Mexico will set up a joint team based in Chicago to target Mexican drug cartels, their leaders, and finances, officials said on Wednesday.

The team will aim to slow the flow of illegal drugs from Mexico into Chicago and other U.S. cities and stem a deadly drug epidemic hitting the United States, the U.S. officials said at a joint news conference.