How Precursor Chemicals Sustain Mexico's Synthetic Drug Trade

FENTANYL / 8 MAY 2023

The production of fentanyl and methamphetamine requires key ingredients known as precursor chemicals. Because of their illicit uses, these substances are highly regulated around the world.  

Yet synthetic drug producers in Mexico have found ways to circumvent regulations to obtain the precursor chemicals, and a sophisticated network of brokers has allowed them to find and buy pre-precursors, less regulated chemicals used at an earlier stage of the production process for methamphetamine and fentanyl. These drugs are then transported across the border by groups like the Sinaloa Cartel and the CJNG.

In this investigation, InSight Crime breaks down the different stages of the supply chain for these synthetic drugs. We look at the chemical companies manufacturing and selling the precursors in China and India, the transnational network of buyers sourcing the precursors, and the chemists and cooks synthesizing the drugs in Mexico. The report also assesses the effectiveness of current regulatory and law enforcement efforts on this issue and offers a series of recommendations aimed at governments, multilateral organizations, and other decision-makers.

Chapter 1

Precursors and Mexico’s Synthetic Drug Trade: Summary and Major Findings

SYNTHETIC DRUGS / 8 MAY 2023

InSight Crime's new report shows the inner workings of Mexico's synthetic drugs trade and how criminal groups have profited from it.

Chapter 2

Making Synthetic Drugs: A Primer*

SYNTHETIC DRUGS / 8 MAY 2023

The heavy regulation placed on chemical precursors used for meth and fentanyl has seen drug traffickers turn to pre-precursors instead.

Chapter 3

Size and Scope of the Meth Industry in Mexico

METHAMPHETAMINE / 8 MAY 2023

While fentanyl dominates headlines, Mexico has continued to produce colossal tons of methamphetamine which floods the United States.

Chapter 4

Brokers, More Than Mexico's 'Cartels,' Key to Precursor Flow

SYNTHETIC DRUGS / 9 MAY 2023

Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG depend on a network of brokers to buy precursor chemicals needed to make fentanyl and meth.

Chapter 5

How Fentanyl Is Synthesized in Mexico

FENTANYL / 9 MAY 2023

The difficulty of sourcing finished fentanyl from China has Mexican groups acquire precursor chemicals to synthesize fentanyl themselves.

Chapter 6

Chemists and 'Cooks': How Fentanyl Kills

FENTANYL / 10 MAY 2023

While cooks produce vast quantities of fentanyl in makeshift labs across Mexico, they are watched over by a small group of expert chemists.

Chapter 7

Mexico's Laws to Regulate Chemicals Work on Paper But Not in Practice

FENTANYL / 10 MAY 2023

Mexico's regulations concerning precursor chemicals is strong on paper, but rampant corruption means this is essentially meaningless.

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