By “El Huaso” for Borderland Beat
On August 12, Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (Sedena) soldiers raided a drug lab on a ranch in Tepoztlán, Morelos after receiving tips from civilians. This is a rare case of a drug lab in central Mexico, a region comparatively free of drug production compared to rural states like Sinaloa.
According to news site Nmas, (FGR), Sedena soldiers raided the lab in the town of Santo Domingo Ocotitlán, in the municipality of Tepoztlán, Morelos in coordination with the state Attorney Generals Office on August 12 after locals reported suspicious movements in the area. Locals specifically reported seeing vehicles carrying industrial plastic barrels entering and exiting.
They seized equipment used in the production of drugs, but as is typical, captured no one.
Mexico’s Navy announced Monday that they have seized 104 drug labs across Mexico this year, in the states of Durango, Guerrero, Michoacán, Nayarit and most of all, Sinaloa. Additionally, Sedena has reported that between the start of 2023 and July 31, 2023, they have seized 527 narco labs. The Mexican government has not recently released the number of labs found in each state, but typically almost 70% are found just in the state of Sinaloa, with smaller shares coming from Michoacán and Durango.
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| Drug labs seized during AMLO administration by Sedena. Source. |
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| An indoor drug lab. Many drug labs are outdoors. Source. |