Drug Seizures Rise at Mexico Ports Amid Fight With Cartels

Drug seizures have increased at ports along Mexico's West Coast as enforcement agencies work to control shipping hubs influenced by violent cartels.

On July 11, P&I Services Mexico, a company handling insurance claims for various maritime entities, issued an alert warning clients of a "sudden increase in narcotics incidents" at ports across Mexico's western coast. According to P&I Services, drugs have mostly been found in shipping containers or vessel sea chests (the grated openings on hulls that allow ships to take on small amounts of seawater).

Image Source: P&I Services Mexico

This development follows a report from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) detailing how Mexico's Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) Cartels are central to North America's drug crisis, sending large quantities of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl and methamphetamine across the border. The cartels' power is rooted in a complex distribution network centered on Mexico's busiest ports.

"Infrastructure-wise, it's critical for them to control a port," says Brian Townsend, a former DEA supervisory special agent with 23 years of experience.

Image Source: Drug Enforcement Administration's National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA) 2024.

Townsend explains that cartels like CJNG and Sinaloa rely on Chinese chemical and pill press companies to smuggle precursor chemicals to Mexico, which are used to manufacture drugs later smuggled into the U.S. and South America. By controlling key ports within their territories, cartels maintain a fully functioning supply chain essential to their operations.

For the Sinaloa Cartel, the Port of Mazatlan is effectively "their backyard," Townsend says, where legitimate carriers at the West Coast gateway must constantly ensure their shipments are not co-opted. Sinaloa also accesses the CJNG-controlled Port of Manzanillo, one of Mexico's largest shipping hubs by volume. Carriers face higher costs and delays due to increased security measures, thorough cargo inspections, and compliance with enforcement agencies when shipments are seized.

"It's just the cost of doing business," Townsend says. "They understand that this is a country with a problem with precursor chemicals and other criminal activity at the ports—they have to figure out how to navigate those challenges."

Regarding the recent increase in drug seizures at Mexico's ports, Townsend cites a "strategic focus" on Sinaloa and CJNG by local agencies and the DEA, particularly as Mexico addresses its own overdose crisis. This is part of a larger "cat and mouse game," where authorities aim to maintain enough law enforcement presence at ports to keep trade flowing and allow legitimate businesses to operate. Without such efforts, Townsend notes, the cartels could create enough chaos to hinder businesses from using those ports.

Sources: Supply Chain Brain | P&I Services Mexico | DEA | Reuters | SEMAR Mexico