REPORT: Mexican cartels’ deadly partnership with Chinese suppliers exposed in massive chemical bust

June 6, 2025

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From Fox News: Mexican drug cartels are getting help from the Chinese to build their drug empire that feeds off American consumers.

Border patrol officials intercepted 50,000 kilos of precursor chemicals this week used in the process of manufacturing methamphetamines, sent from China and intended for members of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. In addition to providing the cartels with the chemicals needed to make illicit drugs, Chinese entities are also one of the foremost actors in helping them launder their proceeds, according to the Treasury Department.

“For far too long, the Mexican drug cartels have raked in billions of dollars at the expense of our local communities leaving nothing but addiction, death and despair in their wake,” said Chad Plantz, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge in Houston. “This initiative provides HSI with a game-changing method to stay one step ahead of the cartels by disrupting the flow of chemicals that they depend on to produce illicit narcotics.”

The seizure was part of an ongoing initiative launched in 2019 to identify suspicious shipments of precursor chemicals from China, India and other countries that are destined for Mexican drug cartels. Since the initiative was established, officials have interdicted more than 1,700,000 kilograms of chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamines and fentanyl, including a seizure this past March of 44,000 kilograms of precursor chemicals at the Port of Houston, destined for the Sinaloa Cartel.

In a press release, ICE also announced:

In addition to preventing the chemicals from reaching the cartels, the initiative has also helped expose the location of clandestine drug labs in Mexico. In conjunction with Mexican authorities, 13 drug labs operated by the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel have been located and eliminated since January 2025 as a result of the initiative.

ICE @HSIHouston, @HSILosAngeles, and @CBP seized over 50,000 kgs of chemical precursor used to produce methamphetamines May 30 at the Port of Long Beach. The chemicals were shipped from China and destined for the Sinaloa Drug Cartel in Mexico. Details: 👉https://t.co/WxowVTSxpp pic.twitter.com/SSW4wpeEx9

— HSI Houston (@HSIHouston) June 2, 2025