Although the illegal fentanyl consumed in the United States came from China for years, it was from 2019 when the Mexican cartels became the main suppliers of the finished synthetic opioid, according to reports from the United States Congressional Research Service.
“In years prior to 2019, China was the leading source of illicit fentanyl, fentanyl-related substances, and illicit production equipment destined for the US (…) traffickers (from China) supplied fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances directly to the United States by international mail and expedited shipping operations”, was detailed in the report “Illicit fentanyl and the role of China”.
The change in the supply patterns of fentanyl to the American Union —he referred— began to take place in 2017, when the member states of the United Nations Organization (UN) agreed to include two types of chemicals used in the list of controlled substances for the illegal production of fentanyl.
“In February 2018, consistent with the UN decision, the People’s Republic of China implemented corresponding national controls,” the report said.
And he added: “After the People’s Republic of China imposed controls on substances related to fentanyl, as of May 2019, today, Mexican transnational criminal organizations are largely responsible for the production of fentanyl that is consumed in the US, using raw materials of Chinese origin, including chemical precursors that are not internationally controlled and are correspondingly legal to produce and export outside of China.”
The report cites, in turn, the evaluations of the DEA (US Drug Control Administration) that were part of the economic and security reviews between the US and China in 2021, which indicated that Chinese traffickers appear to have increased its cooperation with the Mexican cartels.
The report warned that recent tensions between the US and Chinese governments have affected cooperation between the two nations against drug trafficking. It was highlighted, in particular, that after the visit of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, the Chinese government decided to suspend collaboration with the United States in five areas, including the fight against drug trafficking.
Cartels and forms of transfer
In another report from the same US Congressional Research Service, entitled “Trends in Mexican opioid trafficking and implications for United States-Mexico Security Cooperation”, it was detailed that the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels are the criminal organizations that control the fentanyl trafficking to the United States.
“Currently, most of the illicit fentanyl destined for the US appears to be clandestinely produced in Mexico, using chemical inputs from China. India can also be a source of precursors for the production of fentanyl in Mexico.”
The ways in which the chemical precursors reach the hands of the Mexican cartels, the report elaborated, are by air and sea. Already in Mexican territory, the cartels produce low-purity fentanyl in clandestine laboratories.
Once made, the drug is sent to the United States through vehicles or even on foot, by the drug traffickers themselves.
“They also transport illicit fentanyl by passenger ship, cargo ship, train, commercial aircraft, and other modes of transportation. While less frequently encountered by US law enforcement, some synthetic opioids are trafficked through express mail and express delivery networks.
When the drug reaches US soil, local gangs, associated with Mexican cartels, are in charge of distributing it.
Seizures and production in Mexico
70% of illegal fentanyl seizures in Mexico are made by the Mexican Army. According to data from the military, released via the transparency law, in recent years the seizure of opioids has increased significantly.
In 2019, the first year of the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the Army seized 136.1 kilos of the opioid; by 2022, the figure climbed to 1,371 kilos, that is, an increase of 907 percent.
The states with the highest drug seizures, between 2019 and 2022, were Sonora (1,098 kilos); Sinaloa (837); Lower California (767); Coahuila (100) and Jalisco (52).
President López Obrador has assured that fentanyl is not produced in Mexico, statements that contrast with the perception of the US authorities.
However, the Sedena has reported the seizure of synthetic drug laboratories, including fentanyl and heroin, as it did on April 8.
“By carrying out intelligence work to strengthen the rule of law in the country and detect criminal organizations (…) military personnel, from the National Guard and from the FGR obtained information about a property in the Amplification del Barrio neighborhood, municipality of Culiacán , Sinaloa, which was used as a drug manufacturing center.
