An Extradition (and a Fentanyl Prohibition) as Mexico Tries a Counterdrug Reset
In Mexico, criminal groups have prohibited fentanyl production, and the state extradited a top trafficker. Could this mean new US-Mexico counternarcotic relations?…
The US government has brought its first-ever criminal charges against Chinese companies for allegedly trafficking precursor chemicals used to produce fentanyl into the United States, demonstrating a sharpened focus on…
Synthetic drugs are growing in prevalence around the world, but consumer markets in Latin America remain limited.
Synthetic drug trafficking, migrant smuggling, and flawed institutions could explain a recent spike in violence roiling Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.
A new report has found that organized crime groups are overwhelmingly to blame for violence in Mexico, and the CJNG plays an oversized role.
Despite the CJNG moving into Mexico's northern state of Tamaulipas, the Gulf Cartel remains the foremost security threat along the US border.
Some believe the CJNG’s invasion of Tamaulipas is all but a sure thing despite the Gulf Cartel’s historical roots, others are not convinced.
Mexico's regulations concerning precursor chemicals is strong on paper, but rampant corruption means this is essentially meaningless.
While cooks produce vast quantities of fentanyl in makeshift labs across Mexico, they are watched over by a small group of expert chemists.
Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG depend on a network of brokers to buy precursor chemicals needed to make fentanyl and meth.
The difficulty of sourcing finished fentanyl from China has Mexican groups acquire precursor chemicals to synthesize fentanyl themselves.
The heavy regulation placed on chemical precursors used for meth and fentanyl has seen drug traffickers turn to pre-precursors instead.
InSight Crime's new report shows the inner workings of Mexico's synthetic drugs trade and how criminal groups have profited from it.