Mexiko. How Organized Crime Shapes Mexico’s Fentanyl Markets - Local Rules, Global Lessons

Mexiko. How Organized Crime Shapes Mexico’s Fentanyl Markets - Local Rules, Global Lessons

Over the past decade, fentanyl has quietly reshaped drug markets in northern Mexico.

As criminal organizations in the country became major producers and exporters of the synthetic opioid to the United States, domestic consumption also emerged along key trafficking corridors, generating unprecedented public health and security pressures. 

But this expansion has been uneven. Local criminal groups have been a key factor in determining what reaches consumers and under what conditions. In some cities along the border, these groups actively encouraged fentanyl use. In others, they restricted distribution, confining consumption to specific user niches. InSight Crima, USA, Februar 2026)

https://insightcrime.org/investigations/how-organized-crime-shapes-mexicos-fentanyl-markets