GameChangers 2016: Drug Production and Consumption - Patterns and Performance

The drug world in the Americas is undergoing seismic shifts with changing patterns of drug production and consumption that are reshaping organized crime in the region.

Synthetic Drug Lab Busts Rising in Mexico's Sinaloa State

Mexican authorities have warned of an increase in seizures of drug labs in Sinaloa state, a sign that criminal organizations may be diversifying their drug production and trafficking activities to…

Data Shows Mexico Losing Battle With Organized Crime

Results of Mexico's antinarcotics strategy in 2016 show that seizures of all types of drugs and of weapons reserved for military use are down while homicides and the production of…

Argentina Seizes 80 Tons of Precursors Along Bolivia Border

Authorities in Argentina seized a massive 80-ton shipment of precursor chemicals used to make cocaine just meters from the Bolivian border, highlighting the nation's importance as a supplier in the…

Mexico Groups Well Placed for Global Meth Market

The recent arrest of four Mexicans allegedly involved in a methamphetamine manufacturing operation in Nigeria points to the increased global popularity of the drug, which has created opportunities for Mexican…

Four Mexicans Arrested in Meth 'Super Lab' Bust in Nigeria

Officials in Nigeria have arrested four Mexican nationals who allegedly helped create a "super lab" for producing large amounts of synthetic methamphetamine, potentially signaling a new level of drug trafficking…

Belgian Pharmaceutical Companies Tied to Mexico Meth Trade

Belgian prosecutors want to put seven pharmaceutical executives on trial for supplying precursor chemicals to a major Mexican drug trafficker, an unusual case given that Asia is the traditional source…

Report Shows Mexico's Growing Importance in Meth Trade

A new report suggests Mexico's role in the production and trafficking of methamphetamine to the United States continues to grow, a reflection of how criminal groups throughout Latin America are…

US Meth Production Falls as Mexican Imports Increase

A recent report from US anti-narcotics forces says there has been a dramatic drop in methamphetamine production in the United States, but evidence suggests supply for the market has shifted…

Colombia Disbands Transnational Synthetic Drug Ring

Authorities in Colombia and the United States have broken up a synthetic drug trafficking network that reportedly supplied six countries in the region, indicating transnational criminal groups are beginning to…

Guatemala Meth Labs Highlight Growing Production Role

Authorities in Guatemala have discovered two methamphetamine laboratories within the past month, pointing to the Central American country's increasing part in feeding the growing synthetic drug market in Latin America…

Why Are Mexico Cocaine Seizures Falling?

Mexico's armed forces seized just over one ton of cocaine in 2014, a three-fold reduction from the year before, highlighting surprisingly low interdiction rates given the country’s strategic importance in…