Mexican authorities report a shift in the production and distribution of fentanyl as the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel is moving its operations closer to Texas.
The most recent development comes as Mexico’s federal government began seizing multi-ton shipments of fentanyl precursors in the state of Nuevo Leon. The seizures come as the faction of the Sinaloa Cartel has been moving its laboratories away from Sinaloa into the Monterrey metropolitan area.
In recent days, Mexico’s Navy and the Federal Commission for the Protection of Health Risks (COFEPRIS) reported the seizure of more than 120 tons of various chemical precursors from Sinaloa Cartel companies. The seizures occurred in a series of enforcement actions in the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Nuevo Leon. Officials valued the seized chemicals at 87 million pesos in its current form (approximately 5.5 million USD), Mexico’s El Universal reported.
Breitbart Texas first reported on the arrival of the Sinaloa Cartel to Nuevo Leon in 2021. Since then, the criminal organization quietly continued to spread its influence deeper into the region. The main faction of the cartel operating in Monterrey is the Chapitos faction, which law enforcement sources revealed has been working to set up laboratories in the region.
The Monterrey metropolitan area is one of Mexico’s busiest industrial hubs. It is home to hundreds of industrial parks and manufacturing areas that can easily hide the illegal large-scale production facilities needed to manufacture illicit drugs.
Additionally, Monterrey is just a short drive south of the Texas border, with several key cities and ports of entry available for crossing the drugs, such as Piedras Negras, Coahuila; along with Nuevo Laredo, and Reynosa, Tamaulipas.
Earlier this year, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel linked to Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada began helping the Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel along with gunmen from Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) and other smaller groups. As Breitbart Texas reported, the Metros faction has been waging a fierce turf war with the Escorpiones faction of the Gulf Cartel for over a year. While government officials tried to downplay the issue, the Metros faction and CJNG have been mentioned in various banners and messages left as part of the ongoing turf war.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
