'Like any other international commerce': Mexican cartels make big business out of Australia's meth trade

  • 📰 theage
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 81 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 36%
  • Publisher: 77%

Business News News

Business Business Latest News,Business Business Headlines

A third of the methylamphetamine that is consumed in Australia is believed to originate in Mexico.

The outdoor laboratory was set in the depths of a remote area in north-western Mexico.

"We are seeing very large-scale drug laboratories operating here in Mexico. A lot of equipment is involved in these operations, [which] might cost anywhere from $500,000 to $1,000,000 to set up.

"It was estimated that lab, near Culiacan, was producing about 20 tonnes of meth per month. Compare that to Australia's wastewater analysis that suggests Australians are using about 10 tonnes of meth per year," Detective Superintendent Jensen said.Methylamphetamine, more commonly known as "ice", is the most commonly consumed illicit substance in Australia, vastly exceeding cocaine, heroin and MDMA.

Australia's demand for ice and the growing supply from Mexico prompted the creation of the AFP Mexico City post, a role which Detective Superintendent Jensen has held since its opening in 2017. "That gives you a scale of what we are dealing with ... cartels are diversifying their business, and part of that is moving into synthetic drugs like meth which they can produce in Mexico, [unlike] cocaine only being produced from coca leaves in South America," he said.

While the bulk of methylamphetamine in Australia is trafficked by commercial shipping, there is no direct shipping between Mexico and Australia. So illicit substances will always reach local shores via Asia or the US, as was the intention for the 1.7 tonnes seized in California in January.Detective Superintendent Jensen said there was no doubt Mexican cartels had Australia in their sights, where high prices for drugs made the long and difficult journey worthwhile.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.

Well how is it STILL getting in with modern day security hey hey

And a third of that is used by AFL players.

Quick, build a wall.

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 8. in BUSÄ°NESS

Business Business Latest News, Business Business Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

'Australia is open for business': Minister announces $76m tourism recovery fundingThe Morrison government is further dipping into its $2 billion National Bushfire Recovery Fund, announcing an initial $76 million tourism recovery package. 9News Oh saints preserve us !!!! He needs to drop his love affair regarding tourism right now and concentrate on more urgent matters. THEN put time, money and effort into this issue. Well done to Mr Morrison and team. Since when did the Bushfire recovery fund become the latest LNP slush fund that they can dip into at will to pay for the next brain fart that some marketing nuffie has had ScottyFomMarketing sooty
Source: 9NewsAUS - 🏆 10. / 72 Read more »