Fentanyl Fuels Cartel: Associated Press

Despite the conviction of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the US demand for illegal drugs has not subsided. The Sinaloa drug cartel is under new leadership, less flamboyant and violent, and still maintains an international network bringing in product from places near and far, whether Colombia or Malaysia. “Those heaping bags of fentanyl – sourced in China – and plastic tubs of crystal meth, heroin and cocaine offer no sign that the cartel has been weakened, lost sway over its traditional territory in northwestern Mexico or seen its international reach curtailed by the loss of its notorious leader,” reports the Associated Press. The article points out the cartel controls seaports, labs, chemists, money launderers and corrupt police – with operations that include tunnels and delivery vehicles as well as distributors in major US cities. A new tactic is pressing inexpensive fentanyl into fake OxyContin pills. Lack of quality-controls contributes to lethal doses. The US may have to fight the cartel alone as Mexico’s new leaders no longer consider the war on drugs a priority. YaleGlobal