US seizes over 300 metric tons of meth precursor chemicals bound for Mexico

Authorities successful the United States said connected Wednesday that they had seized “on the precocious seas” much than 300,000 kilograms of methamphetamine precursor chemicals. Officials said the chemicals were being shipped from China to Mexico, wherever they were destined for clandestine Sinaloa Cartel laboratories.

“This is the largest seizure of precursor chemicals utilized to manufacture methamphetamine successful U.S. history,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.

The U.S. confiscated 1,300 barrels of benzyl intoxicant and N-methyl formamide successful the seizure. (USAO-DC)

“China was sending implicit 700,000 pounds [317,500 kg] connected the precocious seas to the Sinaloa Cartel earlier my bureau seized them. Because President Trump and Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio declared the Sinaloa Cartel a overseas violent organization, we tin present onslaught faster and deed harder,” she said.

The chemicals — benzyl intoxicant and N-methyl formamide — were shipped successful 1,300 barrels, according to Pirro.

Speaking astatine a property league held successful a warehouse astatine the Port of Houston wherever the seized barrels were being stored, the U.S. lawyer said that the chemicals were being transported successful 2 antithetic vessels “en way to the Sinaloa Cartel successful Mexico.”

“From China to Mexico. The larboard of lading was Shanghai, China. The larboard of discharge — Mexico,” Pirro said.

The U.S. lawyer didn’t disclose wherever “on the precocious seas” the precursor chemicals were seized. The seizure occurred successful precocious August.

Pirro said that the chemicals would person been utilized to marque 420,000 pounds (190,508 kilograms) of methamphetamine, “which would person a thoroughfare worth present successful Houston of US $569 million.”

Todd Lyons, acting manager of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said that a fig of U.S. instrumentality enforcement agencies were progressive successful the grounds seizure, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and ICE.

He said that the chemicals came from the aforesaid vendor successful China. The announcement of the seizure came the aforesaid time that the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said it had sanctioned Guangzhou Tengyue Chemical Co., “a chemic institution operating successful China that is progressive successful the manufacture and merchantability of synthetic opioids to Americans.”

Lyons said that aft the chemicals were seized, HSI “worked intimately with our overseas instrumentality enforcement partners to consolidate the shipments successful Panama and divert them present to the Port of Houston.”

“Our agents successful Panama, Guatemala and Mexico provided important enactment to our Homeland Security Investigations squad present successful Houston passim this full investigation,” Lyons said.

Jeanine Pirro, a national prosecutor, desribed the bust arsenic “the largest seizure of precursor chemicals utilized to manufacture methamphetamine successful U.S. history.” (Jeanine Pirro)

He said that HSI utilized “significant analytical tools and techniques arsenic good arsenic our extended investigative tools and our heavy cognition astir cross-border commercialized to guarantee that we identified these shipments earlier they got into immoderate illicit hands.”

“This marks the archetypal clip a seizure warrant was issued for the worldly enactment of terrorism. … We were capable to complaint idiosyncratic with worldly enactment of terrorism, and that’s the Sinaloa Cartel. The quality to get a warrant for this was lone imaginable due to the fact that of President Trump’s enforcement bid … to designate large cause cartels arsenic overseas violent organizations,” Lyons said.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia obtained the warrant.

The designation of the Sinaloa Cartel arsenic a overseas violent enactment “provided national prosecutors successful the District the authorization to execute the seizure nether the coercion forfeiture provision,” Pirro’s bureau said successful a statement.

‘China’s undeclared warfare against America’

Pirro said that “every time tonnes of chemicals that are utilized to make synthetic drugs similar methamphetamine and fentanyl are shipped from China to Mexico successful China’s undeclared warfare against America and her citizens.”

Drug cartels successful Mexico vessel ample quantities of the locally-manufactured drugs to the United States, the world’s biggest marketplace for narcotics.

Pirro said that “every time successful ceremonial homes crossed this country, we spot the tragic consequences of what has happened successful this undeclared war.”

“… Before you permission I privation to marque definite that you look astatine those 1,300 barrels and I privation you to person a ocular of dormant Americans alternatively of wherever those barrels are due to the fact that that’s what would person happened,” she said to reporters.

The announcement of the grounds seizure of methamphetamine precursor chemicals coincided with a gathering betwixt Secretary of State Rubio and President Claudia Sheinbaum successful Mexico City. The Mexican and U.S. governments said successful a associated connection connected Wednesday that they are committed to moving unneurotic “to dismantle transnational organized transgression done enhanced cooperation.”

Rubio said that that the U.S. and Mexico are “amplifying” their information practice arsenic the 2 countries question to combat organized transgression groups and the narcotics they postulation connected some sides of the borderline and astir the world. His sojourn to Mexico came a time aft the the United States carried retired a onslaught connected a drug-carrying vas from Venezuela that United States President Donald Trump said killed 11 “terrorists” that allegedly belonged to the Tren de Aragua transgression organization.

The Sinaloa Cartel is 1 of the astir almighty transgression organizations successful Mexico, but it has been weakened implicit the past twelvemonth owed to a bloody warfare betwixt rival factions that escalated aft the apprehension of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada successful the United States successful July 2024.

Last week, Zambada pleaded blameworthy to cause trafficking charges successful a U.S. national tribunal successful Brooklyn, New York, wherever helium confessed to trafficking immense quantities of narcotics to the United States during a decades-long transgression career.

Mexico News Daily