MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥 Even as Mexican-made fentanyl continues to flood into the United States, Mexico鈥檚 efforts to seize the drug have declined dramatically, according to figures released Tuesday by the Defense Department.
Figures for the first half of 2024 show that Mexican federal forces seized only 286 pounds (130 kilograms) of fentanyl nationwide between January and June, down 94% from the 5,135 pounds (2,329 kilograms) seized in 2023.
The synthetic opioid has been blamed for in the United States, and U.S. officials have tried to step up efforts to seize it as it comes over the border, often in the form of .
But rather than join in the effort, Mexico's Army and 好色tv Guard appeared to have refocused their attention far more toward seizing methamphetamines, which are much more widely consumed domestically in Mexico than fentanyl.
Mexico seized a record of over 400 tons of meth in 2023, more than 12 times what it seized in 2022. That pace appeared to continue in the first half of 2024, with 168 tons of methamphetamines seized.
While Mexican meth is exported widely to the United States 鈥 and also causes huge addiction problems there 鈥 unlike fentanyl, a huge amount of meth is also sold inside Mexico.
Mexico's Defense Department did not explain why seizures of the two drugs have changed so dramatically. Some observers say the uptick in meth seizures may be the result of increasing internal disputes between the 鈥淢ayitos鈥 and 鈥淐hapitos鈥 factions of the , the largest producer of meth in Mexico.
Because they belonged to the same drug trafficking networks, analysts say the two factions may have become willing and able to 鈥渄rop a dime鈥 and inform authorities about the location of their rivals' meth labs and shipments.
But the sharp drop in fentanyl seizures appears to be harder to explain. After all, there is pressure from the United States to stem the smuggling.
The U.S. Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mexican security analyst David Saucedo said the ongoing battles between the two Sinaloa cartel factions may have also affected fentanyl shipments.
鈥淭he war within the Sinaloa cartel between Mayo Zambada and the 鈥淐hapitos鈥 may also be playing a role in reducing the number of shipments of fentanyl,鈥 said Saucedo. 鈥淭he war between those groups is occurring in cities and on routes that are used for shipping drugs to the border. The violence (between the two factions) inhibits shipments, for fear of losing them along the route to the border."
The government of President Andr茅s Manuel L贸pez Obrador has always had a somewhat equivocal view on Mexico's role in fighting fentanyl, which is largely produced by Mexican cartels using precursor chemicals imported from China and India.
L贸pez Obrador has long denied, for example, that fentanyl is even produced in Mexico, though experts 鈥 and even members of his own administration 鈥
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