SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2010
KLMNO
EZ SU
The World A17 Mexican cartels emerging as top source for meth in U.S. mexico from A1
amine a year. Seizures ofMexican methamphetamine along the southwest border have doubled. “As hard as everyone is work-
ing to stop it, the stuff is justgoing to continue to flow in massive quantities,” said Michael Braun, former chief of operations for the Drug Enforcement Administra- tion and now with Spectre Group International, a security firm. In a typical scenario, United
Nations investigators say, a legiti- mate pharmaceutical company in India exports cold pills to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where they are falsely labeled as herbal supplements and shipped to Belize, and then to Veracruz by cargo container. “Mexico-based trafficking
groups have shown tremendous resilience in getting around the precursor chemical prohibitions and controls,” said Special Agent Alex Dominguez in the DEA Of- fice of Diversion Control. “They are currently pursuing very so- phisticated smuggling tech- niques. They are trafficking ephedrine-type medicines, just like you would smuggle any high- value contraband such as cocaine or heroin.”
Legal ingredients Ever resourceful, Mexican car-
tels have begun to manufacture methamphetamine using legally obtained ingredients — such as phenylacetic acid, or PAA, a hon- ey-smelling chemical used in ev- erything from perfumes, soaps and body lotions to food flavoring and antibiotics. Traffickers prefer metham-
phetamine made from cold tab- lets because it is more potent, but they are increasingly relying on PAA, as resilient Mexican cartels revert to old-school recipes devel- oped by U.S. motorcycle gangs in the 1970s that use phenylacetic acid and its chemical cousins. At least half of all the metham-
phetamine seized along the bor- der in the past year was made with precursor chemicals such as phenylacetic acid, U.S. agents told TheWashington Post. “For the cartels, the great thing
about meth is it is not bound by geography,” a senior U.S. law en- forcement agent with direct knowledge of the Mexican drug syndicates who spoke on the con- dition of anonymity because of security concerns. “You can buy the precursor chemicals off the shelf. You can order them on the telephone.” Mexican mafias have quickly
replaced American mom-and- pop domestic producers, who use soft drink bottles to “shake and bake” a few ounces of meth in motel rooms and rural slums, according to DEA officials. The Chinese government con-
cedes that it has no idea how many cold tablets its state-run companies sell each year. The Mexican government is unsure how much phenylacetic acid is used by legitimate manufactur- ers, such as Proctor & Gamble, and how much is diverted to the meth labs. Mexican cartels began to pro-
duce ever larger amounts of methamphetamine over the past decade. But under heavy pressure from the United States, Mexico three years ago banned the im- port and sale of cold, flu and allergy medicines containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine,
PHOTOS BY WILLIAM BOOTH/THE WASHINGTON POST InVeracruz,Mexican marines and customs agents work together to search for contraband. They also employ drug-sniffing dogs.
get in just one or two containers with narcotics, that’s a lot. That is tons,” said a Mexican navy cap- tain at the port who spoke on the condition his name not be used because of security concerns. Masked men kidnapped the
former director of customs in Veracruz, Francisco Serrano, in June 2009 as he was implement- ing newscrutiny
measures.There have been no arrests, no ransom demands; Serrano vanished. On the black market, a single
AMexican marine shows a kit that tests for ephedrine and cocaine.
the most sought-after chemicals used to make methamphetamine and
ecstasy.Most Central Ameri- can countries implemented their own bans. Meth production in Mexico plummeted. In 2007, the military busted 33 clandestine laborato- ries and 51 in 2008, compared with the 215 it uncovered in 2009. Street prices spiked and purity dropped in the United States, an indication of relative scarcity.U.S. diplomats and law enforcement officials hailed Mexico’s ephed- rine ban as a major success. But Mexican methamphet-
amine is surging again. After sev- eral years of declining produc- tion, the 2010 threat assessment by the Justice Department’s Na- tional Drug Intelligence Center said Mexico was again “the pri- mary source of methamphet-
YOU
Match added by the McCormick Foundation
50%
can help inspire youth build the future
Donate to The Washington Post Charities Holiday Campaign
Put disadvantaged kids across the Greater Washington Region on the path to success.
Helps educate kids 100%
Give Now. Here’s How. GO TO
washingtonpostcharities.com CALL 800.518.3029
amine consumed in the United States.” A companion report was not released for fear of embar- rassingMexican President Felipe Calderon on the eve of his trip to Washington inMay.
A tough opponent U.S. diplomats praise Mexico
for its fight against methamphet- amine. At the port in Veracruz, where more than 1,700 ships ar- rive each year, disgorging 720,000 containers on the docks, Mexican marines and customs agents work side by side search- ing for contraband. The metal boxes are scanned with gamma rays and X-rays and sniffed by dogs. Suspicious cargo is unload- ed, blue plastic drums opened and the chemicals inside tested. “But if there are 2,000 contain- ers a day and you can manage to
allergy pill containing ephedrine can sell for $2.50 in Guatemala. A kilogram of bulk ephedrine from China — about 2.2 pounds of powder—goes for $10,000 on the Mexican black market. In January, Mexican authori-
ties found three tons of ephedrine concealed in fire extinguishers coming through the port ofMan- zanilla. In February, agents stopped 120,000 pseudoephed- rine pills in Guatemala en route to Mexico City airport. In April, Mexican marines in Veracruz found four tons of ephedrine in jute bags that came from India by way of Europe.
According to investigators
with the U.N. International Nar- cotics Control Board, numerous African countries import quanti- ties of cold remedies that far exceed legitimate medical needs. InEthiopia, for example,Mexican traffickers and their middlemen used bogus documents to import more than 12 tons of ephedrine. Similar diversions have been un- covered in Argentina, where ephedrine cold pills are still legal. U.N. investigators say most of the suspicious shipments have Mexi- co as their final destination.
“For the cartels, the great thing about meth is it is not bound by geography. You can buy the precursor chemicals off the shelf. You can order them on the telephone.”
—A senior U.S. law enforcement agent with direct knowledge of the Mexican drug syndicates.
Local victims As Mexico fights the flow of
methamphetamine to the United States, the drug is ravaging citi- zens here. At a rehab center in Apatzin-
gan in the western state ofMicho- acan, a meth-producing hub, two dozen men huddle in a converted garage, sleeping on bunks, shar- ing meals, making furniture. They were all addicted to drugs, most to methamphetamine. Francisco Rodriguez is 53 years
old but looks in his 70s. Meth almost killed him.His decalcified bones are so brittle that he walks with a cane.He has lost his teeth. He left his wife, his children, his lawcareer. “I came to Apatzingan on vaca-
tion and tried the local crystal meth. I became an addict instant- ly,” he said. “The streets here were filled with people who looked crazy.”
Rodriquez said the local mafia
— La Familia de Michoacan — blocked all street sales in the city a few years ago. The cartel said it was protecting the people from a scourge. Mexican law enforce- ment agents confirm that La Fa- milia ordered a halt in local use, though they say it was a cynical ploy, a bit of propaganda. “Now if you use it, they’ll kill
you,” Rodriguez said. “Now it is just for the foreigners.”
boothb@washpost.com
oconnoram@washpost.com
Researcher Gabriela Martinez contributed to this report.
THIS HOLIDAY SEASON... UNWRAP A FEW TREASURES FROMWESCHLER’S!
Saturday,December 4 10am&Noon
Jewelry,Coins&Watches
Rolex • Cartier Omega • Heuer
12250 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852
www.alanfurman.com
301-881-0234 Trade-Ins Welcome
EXHIBIT BEGINS TODAY! Exhibition Hours:
Sunday 11-4; Monday,Tuesday&Wednesday 10-5; Thursday 10-2
DONATE YOUR CAR * 100% Tax Deductible * Free Pick-Up
Support
www.HelpOurVeterans.org Thanksgiving Sale!
Our Veterans 1-800-Help-Vets
Guaranteed Installation by December 14!
UP TO
35% OFF! GAS LOGS OR FIREPLACES INSTALLED*
FIrePlaCes Natural GasaNd ProPaNe
sales, servICe & INstallatIoN Cyprus Air is your one-stop shop handling installation, inspection, permits.
No subcontractors involved. During a power outage you won’t be left in the cold. Buy now! V
E LI FIREPLACE SYSTEMS
703.765.9400 SERVING THE METRO AREA SINCE 1967
7525 Richmond Hwy • Alexandria, VA 3 miles south of I-495 & Old Town Alexandria
as little as 14¢ per hr
www.gaslogs.com
Heat your home for
Showroom Hours: Mon-Sun 10am-7pm
* Must purchase logs or fireplace with new gas line installed. Stock items only. One discount per customer.
WESCHLER’S - Auctioneers & Appraisers Since 1890 909 E Street, NW ❖ 202.628.1281 ❖
www.weschlers.com ❖
American&European Fine Art 20th CenturyDecorative Arts
1 DAY ONLY!November 28
Y A
M
C
! S
O
L P
V E
S
I
D
S I
I
G
O T
N I N
U R
R U B
8 4
P534 2x6
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158