Brokers, More Than Mexico’s ‘Cartels,’ Key to Precursor Flow
Jerónimo** arrived at the restaurant wearing a rooster cap, a black T-shirt, and denim pants. A semi-automatic pistol was holstered…
How Fentanyl is Synthesized in Mexico
In 2018, US and Mexican authorities began tracking several chemists working for the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico that were trying…
Making Synthetic Drugs: A Primer*
The process of making synthetic drugs involves various steps, but it must include a key ingredient called a precursor. For…
5 Takeaways From US Indictments of Chapitos, Associates
US prosecutors have taken aim at one of Mexico’s most powerful drug trafficking enterprises, the Chapitos, in a series of…
Are Fentanyl Trafficking Routes Shifting on the US-Mexico Border?
Over the last eight months, US officials have seized more illicit fentanyl at Arizona’s ports of entry than anywhere else…
Will Designating Mexican Crime Groups as Terrorists Help Fight Them?
US officials are considering designating Mexican drug trafficking organizations as terrorist groups, but labeling criminals as terrorists would mischaracterize the…
Caborca Cartel Resists Chapitos in Battle for Sonora, Mexico
A bloody confrontation between the Caborca Cartel and the Chapitos in Sonora, Mexico, has revealed the resilience of Rafael Caro…
What Mexico’s Posture on Fentanyl Says About US Relations
Regardless of whether Mexican criminal organizations are synthesizing fentanyl at home or are getting it from abroad, the Mexican government’s…
5 Takeaways From US State Department Narcotics Report
The US State Department’s yearly drug report has found that coca cultivation is slowly spreading outside of the three traditional…
After US Hearing on Fentanyl, Is It Time to Retire the Word ‘Cartel’?
A recent US congressional hearing illustrated how the wanton use of the word “cartel” has made it virtually meaningless and…