From the fentanyl crisis in North America to the surge of methamphetamine in Mexico and the spread of tusi across South America, synthetic drug trafficking has reshaped organized crime and created unprecedented challenges for policymakers.
In many ways, these markets have proven more resilient, and more apt to spread, than those of legacy drugs like heroin and cocaine. Unlike those drugs, which depend on organic crops and weather patterns, synthetic drugs are manufactured year-round in clandestine labs, or diverted from legal supply chains altogether. Barriers to entry are also low, and the possibilities for new concoctions are virtually endless.
Drawing on more than 15 years of InSight Crime research, this second edition of The Synthetic Drug Revolution examines the criminal networks, trafficking routes, and evolving dynamics shaping the synthetic drug trade in Latin America and the Caribbean. It adds our latest research on the rise of ketamine trafficking across the region and the direct impact organized crime may have on public health-informed drug policies.
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