MEXICO CITY—Mexican security forces announced on Wednesday that they had achieved the largest fentanyl seizure in the history of the country, confiscating 1,100 kilograms of the synthetic opioid in the state of Sinaloa.
According to law enforcement, this seizure equates to 20 million fentanyl doses and is expected to deal a significant blow of around $400 million to organized crime.
Sinaloa has experienced heightened violence recently, with factions of the Sinaloa Cartel engaging in intense battles following the arrest of kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in July.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has expressed his commitment to pressuring Mexico to take stronger actions to prevent the flow of fentanyl northward, a substance that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. He has even threatened to impose substantial tariffs if measures to curb fentanyl trafficking and illegal migration are not implemented.
On Wednesday, Mexican authorities revealed that they had detained over 5,200 migrants across the country on Tuesday, indicating an escalated enforcement effort to prevent migrants from reaching the U.S. border.
The fentanyl was discovered at two properties in the municipality of Ahome, following intelligence work and tips from the public.
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Law enforcement discovered 800 kilograms of fentanyl, precursor chemicals, and four vehicles in one building. In the other building, they found 11 packages totaling around 300 kilograms of fentanyl, along with precursors, scales, and industrial mixers.
President Claudia Sheinbaum stated at a press conference on Wednesday that this was the result of a lengthy investigation and marked the largest fentanyl seizure to date.
Mexico has previously been accused of inflating seizure figures. An investigation by Reuters in 2023 revealed that the army had significantly increased the number of drug lab raids it claimed to have conducted by including facilities that were already inactive.
