In three and a half months of 2022, the Mexican Armed Forces have seized 43,249.58 kilos of drugs in operations to combat drug trafficking, although the structure of the cartels does not seem to be diminished.
Federal authorities recorded the latest insurances from March 20 to April 20 and accumulated 11,764.58 kilograms of various narcotics that cross or are produced in the country. They had previously committed just over 5,000 kilos and, before that, they had already added 26,485 kg at the beginning of the year.
They did not specify which criminal groups most of the shipments were seized from, but currently the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) dominate the market and the transfer routes in Mexico that seek to reach the streets of the United States from South America.
According to the official report, methamphetamine has been the most seized drug in Mexican territory in 110 days of the year, as there are currently 16,305 kilos made available to ministerial offices.
First 984 kg were secured, then 11 thousand 778 kg, then 3 thousand 14 kg more and the recent record accumulated 529 kilograms. This means declines and the uptick in seizures.
Marijuana insurances totaled 12,663 kilos as of April 20, according to a report by the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) and the Mexican Navy Secretariat (Semar).
While cocaine has been seized 12,211 kilos, almost in the same proportion as the enervante. The packets of the white powder come from South America, in particular, countries such as Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia.
In the last month alone, Semar intercepted 2.9 tons in naval operations and the Army found 3.02 tons more, with support from ground elements and the Air Force, who often identify narcoplanes with cargo.
Fentanyl continues to increase insurance, as it is faster to manufacture and easier to transport to streets in the United States, where synthetic opioid has generated a public health crisis since 2017 and tens of thousands of overdose deaths, because it is also mixed with other substances or is sold in counterfeit pills.
It is often distributed in blue pills, of which 47 kilos had been seized on 20 days of the year, but from that date the amount increased fivefold with 116 kg more, and in just 24 days 195 kilos were secured, added to 293 kg until 20 April recently. They currently total 651 kg of the drug in Mexico.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a public safety alert in September 2021 about this narcotic. As a prescription analgesic, it can reduce pain, but it can also cause addiction or overdose due to its potency and quantity consumed, for example, 33 kilograms of the drug could cause the death of more than 10 million people, according to the DEA.
With regard to heroin, only seven kilos had been seized, which was combined with 53 kg in mid-February, since then they only added three kilograms more, but the following month 36 kg were seized, thus accumulating 99 kilos to date.
In addition to these insurances, there are 3,349 land vehicles made available to ministerial authorities; as well as 2,186 firearms, 3.9 million US dollars; 17.6 million pesos, as well as 15 drug laboratories dismantled. In addition, 4,594 hectares of poppy have been eradicated this year, as well as 152 hectares of marijuana in the same period.
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