From Fox News: Federal officials made a high-seas interception of hundreds of thousands of pounds of two different precursor chemicals that are used to make methamphetamine, a shipment they say came from China and was destined for the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.
Jeanine Pirro, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, announced what officials called the largest ever bust of precursor chemicals being shipped to a foreign terrorist organization during a news conference in Pasadena, Texas, on Wednesday.
“Tons of chemicals that are used to create synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl are shipped from China to Mexico in China’s undeclared war against America,” Pirro said.
Pirro said that 1,300 barrels containing 363,000 pounds of benzyl alcohol and 334,000 pounds of N-Methylformamide were seized from two different vessels on the high seas. Both chemicals, Pirro said, are precursor chemicals that could have been used to produce 420,000 pounds of methamphetamine.
The Justice Department announced, “This operation marks the largest seizure ever by U.S. law enforcement of chemicals used to produce methamphetamine. The chemicals, which originated in and were sent from China, could have been used to produce nearly 190,000 kilos of methamphetamine – worth about $569 million if they had reached their intended destination.”
“Instead, agents seized six shipping containers of benzyl alcohol, a solvent used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, weighing 164,880 kilos and six shipping containers of N-methyl formamide, another liquid organic solvent, weighing 151,560 kilos.”
This one shipment was nearly TWICE the amount of meth border agents seized along the entire southern border in fiscal year 2024. A DOJ press release explains:
To put in perspective the impact of this seizure, in Fiscal Year 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) seized a total 78,925 kilos of methamphetamine along the entire southwest border. In order to transport the chemicals from port to a secure HSI storage facility, it took twenty-four, 18-wheeler trucks to transport the sheer volume of precursor chemicals.
In 2023, more than 34,800 Americans died of overdoses from psychostimulants, primarily methamphetamine.
This operation marks the largest seizure ever by U.S. law enforcement of chemicals used to produce methamphetamine. The chemicals, which originated in and were sent from China, could have been used to produce nearly 190,000 kilos of methamphetamine – worth about $569 million if… pic.twitter.com/ZQRx3DjwuG
— U.S. Attorney DC (@USAO_DC) September 3, 2025
Pirro posted a video showing a room full of barrels seized.
You are looking at the largest seizure of precursor chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine in U.S. history. China was sending over 700,000 lbs on the high seas to the Sinaloa Cartel before my office seized them.
Because President Trump and Secretary Rubio declared the… pic.twitter.com/kAyijtTlTM
— Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) September 3, 2025
WATCH the full press conference in the video below:
READ MORE from Fox News.
https://t.co/0k75fZUDy5 pic.twitter.com/PNaMOKfVPH
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 3, 2025
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