Mexican Heroin

As reported by the Dallas Morning News. Mexico is a small producer of heroin compared world wide, but in the last few years it is catching up to Columbia as the largest source of heroin for U.S. users. The Mexican heroin is cheaper and is being mixed with other drugs.

The surge of Mexican heroin trafficking is a result of a reorganization of the Mexican drug cartel, the fact that Mexican heroin doesn't have to travel as far to reach a user, cocaine use has stagnated, and drug dealers are finding new ways to market heroin .

The DEA points to two drug cartels who have started working together, the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels. The Juarez cartel was once the most powerful drug cartel in North America. The Sinaloa cartel is known for digging tunnels along the US - Mexico border to smuggle cocaine, marijuana, and heroin. These two drug cartels have started paying gangs along the border to insure that drugs get across. The two drug cartels now control a region of Mexico called "Golden Triangle" which includes the states of Sinaloa, Chihuahua, and Durango. This gives them easy access to Interstate 10 for Texas and California and Interstate 25 that goes north to Albuquerque.

Busing the drugs is a new tactic in smuggling. About 6 bus lines provide service from El Paso to various cities in the US, including Dallas. There are so many passengers and so many buses it has overwhelmed current drug interdiction programs. Students, housewives, and grandparents have been caught carrying the heroin taped to their bodies, inside their clothes, or swallowed.

2006 saw heroin confiscation in the El Paso region of around 50 pounds. In 2005 the same area had only confiscated around 4 pounds. US Customs have made similar reports, 2005 11 pounds, 2006 35 pounds, and in the first 3 months of 2007 22 pounds. The amounts may seem small but because heroin is so potent only small amounts are needed to produce doses of cheese.

Because of the high profits, Mexican heroin is moving into regions that had been controlled by Columbia or Asia. Also the use of gang members to help traffic and supply. The gangs are doing more of the 'grunt' work.