Federal authorities recently seized more than 700 kg of methamphetamine as well as 12,000 liters and 2 tonnes of chemical precursors in two separate operations. 

The information was divulged one day after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Mexican Foreign Relations Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente that there must be stronger cooperation to dismantle Mexico’s violent narco-terrorist networks and their fentanyl trafficking activities.

In a Monday morning social media post, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch reported that the Naval Ministry (Semar) dismantled three clandestine meth labs in the states of Michoacán, Durango and Sinaloa, but did not reveal when the operations took place.

Agents from the Security Ministry, the Federal Attorney General’s Office, the Defense Ministry and the National Guard also participated in the raids.

García Harfuch said the complete destruction of the narco-laboratories represents a significant blow to the logistical structures of organized crime, while emphasizing the social benefit of keeping the end product out of circulation. 

“These actions directly weaken the financial capacity of criminal organizations and prevent these illicit substances from reaching the population, especially our youth,” Harfuch wrote in his post.

The operations were carried out in strategic areas identified by authorities as synthetic drug production hotspots, reinforcing the operational and logistical impact against organized crime.

In a statement, the federal Security Cabinet said the largest seizure was recorded in Los Cedros, Sinaloa, where authorities dismantled a clandestine laboratory. There, federal agents seized around 750 kg of finished drugs, in addition to 695 kg and 1,150 liters of chemical precursors.

“With these actions … the Security Cabinet reaffirms its commitment to locating and dismantling laboratories and sites where synthetic drugs are concentrated … and preventing these substances from reaching the streets,” the statement said.

In La Escondida, Michoacán, federal and state forces located and dismantled another narco-lab, confiscating 500 kg and 9,700 liters of chemical precursors, as well as laboratory equipment and tools.

In Carricitos, Durango, a clandestine lab with 695 kg and 1,150 liters of chemical precursors was found by agents on foot patrol. Materials used for the production of synthetic drugs were also destroyed.

The authorities confirmed that operations will continue, “prioritizing operational intelligence, territorial control and the protection of the population,” with special emphasis on preventing consumption among young people.

With reports from La Jornada, Infobae, Excelsior and Reuters