National Guard (GN) commander David Córdova reported on illegal drug seizures and clandestine labs at President López Obrador’s morning press conference on Tuesday, noting that 138,041 kilograms of methamphetamines have been seized so far this year alone, compared to merely 36,226 kilograms in 2022.
Córdova said the destruction of 1,740 methamphetamine labs since 2018 has prevented the manufacture of 6,374 tons of these drugs, and resulted in a 1.6 billion peso loss to organized crime. Authorities have seized 1,727 kilograms of fentanyl this year to date, according to government data, indicating the seizures will likely far surpass last year’s 2,086 kilograms of fentanyl.
Earlier this week, the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) announced the destruction of 35 tonnes of illicit drugs and 735,489 fentanyl pills in Cuiliacán, Sinaloa, as well as 529 pieces of equipment used to manufacture synthetic drugs. They also destroyed multiple chemical precursors and other substances, such as lead acetate, tartaric acid, ammonium hydroxide, sodium cyanide and hydrochloric acid.
In March, Mexican authorities destroyed 67.8 tonnes of illicit drugs and 100,383 liters of chemical precursors to manufacture drugs, the most significant drug shipment destroyed by the FGR so far in 2023.
The Mexican government is under increasing pressure from the United States to tackle the illegal fentanyl trade. In April, the U.S. government unsealed charges against 28 members of the Sinaloa Cartel, which Attorney General Merrick Garland described as “the largest, most violent, and most prolific fentanyl trafficking operation in the world.”
With reports from El Universal and El Economista
