Large Sinaloa Cartel Meth Lab Seized in Northern Mexico

Mexican security personnel in Sinaloa seized another large meth lab connected to the Sinaloa Cartel earlier in the week. Since 2018, officials busted more than 20 similar labs in the state.

The Office of the Secretariat of the Mexican Navy (SEMAR) announced the seizure of a large clandestine lab northwest of Los Vinos, located in northeast Culiacán. Navy personnel discovered the lab with the assistance of land and air assets while following up on recent intelligence developed in the area. Officials discovered 1,080 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, 855 gallons of liquid meth, and 858 gallons of chemical precursors. The contents were turned over to investigative personnel from the state police and prosecutor’s office.

The seizure fits in a series of large lab raids in the area. In June, security elements discovered a clandestine lab in rural Alcoyonqui, resulting in the seizure of 220 to 330 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and 1,717 gallons of chemical precursors

Breitbart News reported on multiple labs recently seized in the area. Those included a case earlier in July when security personnel in Sinaloa discovered a plant connected to the Sinaloa Cartel. Officials estimated the haul to be worth an estimated $170 million.

In August 2018, Breitbart News reported on three busts totaling more than 120,000 pounds of methamphetamine believed to belong to the Sinaloa Cartel. Additionally, officials carried out numerous meth, fentanyl, and heroin seizures along smuggling routes in northern Mexico leading into the U.S. and at Border Patrol checkpoints.

In June 2019, the Mexican Navy also seized two tons of drugs in Puerto Libertad, Sonora, according to local reports.

This past Saturday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Calexico East port of entry seized more than 190 pounds of methamphetamine concealed inside the fuel tank of a charter bus.

On July 19, Border Patrol agents working in the Yuma Sector seized 100 pounds of methamphetamine. The load had an estimated street value of $229,000, according to a Homeland Security release.

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.