HomeNewsBrief'National Methamphetamine Threat Assessment 2010,' U.S. Department of Justice
BRIEF

'National Methamphetamine Threat Assessment 2010,' U.S. Department of Justice

METHAMPHETAMINE / 22 NOV 2010 BY INSIGHT CRIME EN

In June The New York Times obtained a leaked U.S. government report on methamphetamine production as well as patterns of its use and price in the United States, that the U.S. government refrained from releasing because, according to the Times, it was trying to “minimize diplomatic turbulence” with Mexico. The report says that meth has its “highest purity” and “lowest price” in five years.

More than an indictment of the Mexican government, the report appears to be a testament to the resilience and adaptability of the Mexican drug cartels that have diversified their suppliers of precursors, their methods of importing it, and found new precursors, in particular phenylacetic acid, to substitute for the old. In response to increasing supply of crystal meth in the U.S., Mexican legislators, along with Guatemalan, Salvadoran and Honduran authorities, have enacted laws to limit pseudoephedrine and ephedrine imports. According to the report, these efforts appear to have slowed the imports but also increased the use of new precursors, which accounts for the increased production of meth in Mexico.

"National Methamphetamine Threat Assessment 2010," U.S. Department of Justice. (pdf)

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

EXTORTION / 8 APR 2021

Criminal groups in one of Mexico's most popular tourist regions have found yet another sector to extort and terrorize: hotel…

HOMICIDES / 29 AUG 2022

Police in Guanajuato, Mexico, are accused of being in the pocket of the Jalisco Cartel. But do they have a…

BARRIO 18 / 30 JAN 2023

While thousands of gang members have been arrested in El Salvador, some may have moved their activities to Mexico.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…