The Navy Secretariat (Semar) is collaborating with the Federal Commission for the Protection of Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) in the task of tracing the route of substances used in the production of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl. Admiral Raymundo Morales, head of Semar, explained during the morning conference on Wednesday, February 19, the strategy they are implementing to carry out this monitoring.
According to Morales, most of these substances are dual-use and are employed in the chemical industry for purposes such as the production of paints or pharmaceutical products, but at times they are diverted towards the manufacture of synthetic drugs. The objective is to provide traceability to these substances from their entry through various ports and customs in order to track them.
Once potential diversions are identified, verifications are carried out with the companies and industries involved with the purpose of taking actions that disable the companies and detain those responsible. It was even mentioned that a person related to this crime was extradited to the United States, although no further details were disclosed.
In March 2024, the Navy delivered the Integrated Substance System to the Ministry of Health, through Cofepris, to prevent the diversion of regulated substances. This tool was presented to organizations and authorities in the United States, making Mexico a pioneer in this strategy that other countries are interested in replicating and complementing, according to Raymundo Morales.
Recently, the Attorney General's Office (FGR) reported that it destroyed two million 106 thousand 110 fentanyl pills and 168.1 kilograms of the same substance in powder, which were seized in Baja California and Sonora. These actions were carried out in coordination with various institutions such as the Ministry of National Defense, the Navy, and the Ministry of Security, as part of the fight against organized crime.
In a specific case, authorities dismantled a narcotics laboratory in Nuevo León after receiving a citizen complaint about a property used for the production of illegal substances and the storage of chemical precursors in the municipality of García.
