Mexico sees seizures of meth, fentanyl soar since 2019

By FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican drug cartels are turning to bigger, more productive labs to churn out increasing quantities of synthetic drugs like meth and fentanyl. That is according to seizure figures issued Monday by Mexico’s Defense Department. Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval acknowledged there has been a huge shift by Mexican cartels away from naturally grown drugs like opium and marijuana, where seizures and crop eradication has fallen. But he said seizures of the synthetic opioid fentanyl have soared 525% in the first three years of the current administration, which took office Dec. 1, 2018, compared to the previous three years.