Chinese\ncartels are rapidly expanding the fentanyl and methamphetamine drug trade in\nMexico\u2014a phenomenon that is taking the lives of many Americans and underscores\nthe importance of having a secure southern border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In recent years, the \u201cLos Zheng\u201d cartel is reported<\/a> to have “the largest presence in Mexico for the trafficking of fentanyl and methamphetamine,\u201d and is becoming a major concern to Mexican and U.S. national security authorities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The cartel\u2019s supply chain originates in Wuhan, China (also the origin of coronavirus!)\u2014where it can produce chemicals necessary for these drugs in large scales and low costs.<\/a> Its drugs are then transported overseas to Mexico and commercialized by Mexican cartels such as Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generaci\u00f3n. Once completed, the drugs are transported by land or air through the Mexican states of Jalisco, Nayarit, Sinaloa, and Sonora to the United States for consumption, according to Lee Oughton, the co-founder and COO of Fortress Risk Management, a security firm. The expansion of Chinese cartels participating in this drug trade is becoming a large priority to U.S. national security authorities. Recently, the Department of Justice (DOJ) apprehended<\/a> six Chinese nationals who allegedly participated in drug trafficking and money laundering between China, the United States, and Latin America. This comes after the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) charged<\/a> four Chinese individuals and one entity in June for “facilitating payments for the purchase of fentanyl analogs or other controlled substances,\u201d to the Zheng Drug Trafficking Organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In recent years, fentanyl has taken the lives of tens of thousands of Americans\u2014with more than 31,000<\/a> dying from the drug in 2018\u2014highlighting the need for a fortified U.S.-Mexico border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Between 2017 and 2020, the Trump administration built some 400 miles<\/a> of border barrier to deter dangerous criminal illegal aliens and illicit drugs from entering the country. However, President-elect Biden has pledged<\/a> to stop building any more wall, which could help facilitate more drugs entering the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While\na border barrier may not be a panacea to stop this drug trade and Chinese and\nMexican cartels\u2014it remains an integral feature of a comprehensive border and\nnational security strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In\naddition to building more border barrier, the United States should also seek to\nincrease prosecutions and investigations of foreign nationals who are suspected\nof participating in these operations, establish security and intelligence cooperation\nagreements with Mexico, and invest more into border technology that can detect\nillicit drugs at ports of entry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Chinese cartels are rapidly expanding the fentanyl and methamphetamine drug trade in Mexico\u2014a phenomenon that is taking the lives of many Americans and underscores the importance of having a secure southern border. In recent years, the \u201cLos Zheng\u201d cartel is reported to have “the largest presence in Mexico for the trafficking of fentanyl and methamphetamine,\u201d<\/p>\n
The Los Zheng and other Chinese cartels in Mexico have largely stayed undetected from authorities as they operate through Mexican shell companies that range from veterinary services to clothing sales. Los Zheng is also said to utilize legitimate pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to help facilitate drug production. <\/p>\n\n\n\n