A major meth lab connected to the Sinaloa Cartel worth an estimated $170 million was seized by Mexican security personnel in Sinaloa this week. Since 2018, Mexican officials busted 20 similar labs in the state.
Mexican authorities announced the seizure, consisting of three complexes, by the Mexican State Preventive Police (Policía Estatal Preventiva) of Sinaloa and the navy (La Secretaria de Marina) after an early morning Sunday raid in the rural town of El Saucito.
During the initial raid, investigators located the first lab complex which consisted of an underground storage for precursors and finished product. A second complex held a living quarters for 10 to 15 people and additional laboratory equipment. The third complex contained an industrial power generator and equipment to produce a large amount of methamphetamine. A large cache of precursor chemicals and finished product was also found.
According to the Secretary of Public Security, at least 17,750 liters of precursor chemicals were discovered within the hidden complex. The secretary estimated complex was capable of producing approximately 17 tons of methamphetamine, based on the amount of materials on site.
No arrests were made during the raid. Investigative personnel for the Federal Attorney General’s Office will continue to work to identify those responsible for the construction and maintenance of the lab, which is believed to be connected to the Sinaloa Cartel–according to local Breitbart News law enforcement sources. The site is located approximately 35 miles southwest of the state capital of Culiacán, which is the heart of Sinaloa Cartel territory.
In August 2018, Breitbart News reported three seizures totaling more than 120,000 pounds of methamphetamine in Sinaloa, believed to belong to the Sinaloa Cartel aka Cártel del Pacífico.
Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce has worked in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, working out of the Consulate for the United States Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, where he was the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas.) You can follow him on Twitter. He can be reached at robertrarce@gmail.com