HomeNewsBriefNicaragua Police Seize Precursor Chemicals for Meth Production
BRIEF

Nicaragua Police Seize Precursor Chemicals for Meth Production

METHAMPHETAMINE / 19 JUL 2012 BY ELYSSA PACHICO EN

Police announced the arrest of seven people and the seizure of 80 barrels of precursor chemicals, reportedly aimed at setting up a methamphetamine lab in Nicaragua, one sign that the industry could be spreading outside of Mexico.

The 4,400 gallons of chemicals in the barrels included acetone, a key ingredient for meth production, reports El Nuevo Diario.

Police are reportedly investigating 13 people linked to the primitive lab, including two Mexicans.

Police spokesperson Glenda Zavela said that trafficking organizations have been trying to introduce meth to Nicaragua since 2011.

InSight Crime Analysis

Mexico is still the region’s primary producer of meth, the supplier of up to 80 percent of the meth consumed in the US. But as a 2011 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report observed, seizures of precursor chemicals in other Central American countries are rising, and meth labs are appearing in some countries where there was previously no history of meth production. Nicaragua discovered its first methaphetamine lab in 2009.

Even though the US State Department has identified Nicaragua as a “producer and supplier of methaphetamine,” so far the problem appears to be relatively limited. Nicaragua has taken several steps to try and combat the issue, passing a law in April 2011 that restricts the importation, production, and distribution of phenyl acetic acid, a key precursor chemical for meth.

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

FENTANYL / 15 FEB 2023

Prescription drugs containing fentanyl and methamphetamine are being sold in northern Mexico, putting unknowing customers at extreme risk.

ARGENTINA / 8 FEB 2023

InSight Crime's 2022 Homicide Round-Up covers more countries than ever before, with a major expansion into nations of the Caribbean.

BRAZIL / 2 NOV 2021

Organized crime groups in Latin America continue to expand into illicit synthetic drug production, including mass manufacturing of methamphetamine and…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.