Mexican Cartels Lure Chemistry Students To Make Fentanyl (nytimes.com)
- Reference: 0175582609
- News link: https://yro.slashdot.org/story/24/12/02/2336239/mexican-cartels-lure-chemistry-students-to-make-fentanyl
- Source link: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/01/world/americas/mexico-fentanyl-chemistry-students.html
> Recruiters approach students with tempting offers, often after observing them for weeks. Promising salaries of over $800 per month -- double the average pay for chemists in Mexican companies, along with potential bonuses like cars or housing -- [2]recruiters capitalize on the financial struggles of young professionals .
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> These "cooks" are tasked with improving fentanyl's addictive quality and finding alternative synthesis methods to mitigate supply chain disruptions caused by stricter chemical export controls from China and pandemic-induced bottlenecks. The Times interviewed seven drug "cooks," three university chemistry students recruited by the Sinaloa cartel, two agents, a recruiter, and a university professor -- all anonymously to avoid cartel retaliation. According to the recruiter, candidates must be passionate, discreet, and indifferent to the ethical consequences of their work.
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> The university professor highlighted a disturbing trend: students openly expressed interest in synthesizing illicit drugs during lectures.
[1] https://slashdot.org/~schwit1
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/01/world/americas/mexico-fentanyl-chemistry-students.html
Who I'd worry about (Score:3)
Yes, I would be worried about breaking the law and its consequences, but I would be even more worried about the Cartel as my employer.
Re: (Score:1)
[1]Trump's plan won't work, but that doesn't mean he won't try [yahoo.com]. And chemical labs will be a high target.
[1] https://www.yahoo.com/news/plan-set-us-special-forces-103000970.html
Re: (Score:2)
Seems like it would make more sense to address the issues which lead to drug abuse in the first place, rather than sending troops over to do battle with a Mexican cartel. Instead, well, we got the leadership we voted for. Off to the drug war with you, boys! May the odds be ever in your favor, or something.
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I prefer Mao's solution. Just kill dealers and addicts both. Firm but fair.
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RFK Jr. seems very nervous [1]https://www.yahoo.com/news/rfk... [yahoo.com]
[1] https://www.yahoo.com/news/rfk-jr-hates-adderall-says-130017811.html
Re: (Score:2)
> Seems like it would make more sense to address the issues which lead to drug abuse in the first place,
Demand for drugs. Catch the users and offer them a choice of jail or treatment. Catch the treatment graduates again and it's just jail the second time around.
It's just basic economics. Supply and demand. Going after the supply (cartels, distribution networks, local dealers) just creates a scarcity, drives up prices and profits and makes the business look more attractive. Want to put the cartels out of business? Drive the prices down by drying up the demand.
Re: (Score:2)
Socialist!
Why do you hate Capitalism??? /s
Re: (Score:2)
One harm-mitigation strategy I've seen would be to imitate England back in the days just after the phase where Heroin was legal and considered a superior alternative to Opium. Basically, like Oxycontin, it had its day as the "superior" opioid.
Anyways, they already had universal healthcare. It was determined to be impractical to try to get all the addicts to quit, many/most of whom had gotten addicted using legitimate doctor prescribed stuff and instructions. It was determined that most could remain funct
Re: (Score:2)
> Seems like it would make more sense to address the issues which lead to drug abuse in the first place
You speak as if that hasn't been tried time and time again already.
> Off to the drug war with you, boys! May the odds be ever in your favor, or something.
One thing I don't believe has been tried is a direct military intervention. Mexico came close to it once, but the unit they trained for it just defected and became Los Zetas. I don't believe boots on the ground is the answer though, rather some good ol' fashioned drone strikes. Don't even worry about cartel personnel, just target the supply chain. These guys are in it for one reason and one reason only: Money. If they have no product to sell
Re: (Score:2)
The US military conducted extensive counternarcotics operations in Afghanistan. During our occupation they went from a minor producer to dominant world leader. All this stupid drug war shit has been tried.
Re:Who I'd worry about (drone warfare) (Score:1)
Hitting "unauthorized labs" with Drones would be a perfect match. There's No knowing what follow-on reactions from the Mexican Government? Trump may choose to invoke a Border crossing Shutdown. It won't last long before all the US businesses whine.
Re: Who I'd worry about (drone warfare) (Score:1)
You want to de-cartelize Mexico. Sounds good. It's OK when we do it, after all.
Re: (Score:2)
> [1]Trump's plan won't work, but that doesn't mean he won't try [yahoo.com]. And chemical labs will be a high target.
Your citation is excellent and informative!
[1] https://www.yahoo.com/news/plan-set-us-special-forces-103000970.html
Re: (Score:2)
From TFA:
> Over the years it has acquired a broad range of modern weaponry, including assault rifles, grenade launchers, drones, anti-personnel mines, anti-tank weapons and grenades.
> ....
> There have also been documented cases of cartels using surface-to-air missiles while intelligence points to them having obtained anti-tank rockets.
But this is the perfect application of drone-launched Hellfire (AGM-114) missiles. Conventional warheads for the drug labs and the flying Ginsu (R9X) variant to go after the cartel bosses.
We don't want to capture and hold territory. We just need a scorched earth policy. No tanks or personnel need to be risked. And so what if we lose a few drones.
> âoeOverall, while the cartels pose a serious threat, a military solution could lead to further instability and might necessitate prolonged US involvement with limited success,â
But instability is our goal. Or the Mexican government can get on our side and move in afterwards to keep the peace in their own territory (which we won't
Re: (Score:2)
Not an expert, and unlike some commenters I won't pretend to have expertise when I don't, but there are a few rather obvious questions raised by your post:
How do you plan to use missiles (whether Hellfire or flying-Ginsu) in densely populated urban areas without inflicting massive civilian casualties?
What good is it to ask "the Mexican government" (presumably you mean municipal, state and federal LEOs) to "move in afterwards and keep the peace", when virtually all the Mexican LEOs are hopelessly corrupt?
Eve
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the cops are on the take so we can just kill you and get away with it.
Perfect timing (Score:3)
I'm sat here watching Breaking Bad.
Re: (Score:2)
Not to mention an episode or two of The Expanse.
Re: Make Fentanyl Great Again! (Score:2)
Iinm, the fentanyl isn't produced in China. The Chinese are on the USA's side, as mentioned in the summary.
Breaking Bad Effect. (Score:2)
I think the show Breaking Bad may have glamorized this sort of thing, and makes it seem like kind of a cool lifestyle.
Re: (Score:2)
Have you seen the show?
Because (spoiler alert) by the end, it pretty much ruined the life of everyone who was involved, or even knew someone who was.
Why Fentanyl (Score:2)
I am somewhat confused as to why they are putting so much effort into "improving" fentanyl. The toxicity and death rate of users would seem to limit the market compared to less toxic drugs take cocaine or heroin.
Re: (Score:3)
it will likely get cut with fillers on the other end.
The bigger problem for the cartels is that the easy-bake chemistry of their current fentanyl depends on vast quantities of precursor chemicals shipped in from China. For a variety of reasons (better profit margins, supply chain risk, etc.), they want to wean themselves from that dependency.
Re: (Score:2)
Etonitazene is 10X more powerful than Fentanyl, which means that 1 KG makes 5 million strong doses. That is very little to smuggle for $50M+ in value. The problem comes in cutting such a powerful drug evenly, you need to get not just the chemistry right but the electrostatics of dry mixing right so that there is no clumping ... just like when you weaponize anthrax. :/
Something isn't right about this article (Score:2, Insightful)
Right off the bat the median income in Mexico is $1,700 a month. Chemists are educated people.
That pay might be for the guys who mix the drugs but it's not for the guys who formulate them.
Whatever the case we could make all this go away tomorrow just by legalizing hard drugs and treating them as a medical condition. Just don't let private companies sell them. You have to have the government give them away in a controlled setting with treatment options and social services immediately ready. And here'
NYC has places for that. (Score:2)
New York City say the first government-approved supervised drug injection sites
Re: (Score:2)
Which is a good first step, but from what I've seen, it fails to address the "illegal dealer" and associated violence problems by still requiring the addicts show up with the stuff.
It should be more like methadone clinics, or over in the Netherlands. The government gives them medical grade heroin, so they don't need to find the cash to pay illegal dealers, and the illegal dealers and associated supply lines get their money supply cut off, the surest way to actually get rid of them.
Heroin, medical grade, sh
Don't believe everything shown in BreakingBad (Score:2)
Cartels don't pay their top chemists as much as is portrayed in BreakingBad.
Re: (Score:2)
> Whatever the case we could make all this go away tomorrow just by legalizing hard drugs and treating them as a medical condition. Just don't let private companies sell them. You have to have the government give them away in a controlled setting with treatment options and social services immediately ready. And here's the hard part you have to actually take care of drug addicts even though everybody hates them with a passion. It's infinitely cheaper and more humane but it's absolutely no fun.
Sounds great in theory, but, so far, it’s been self defeating in practice. It turns out that addressing the problem not only requires carrots, but also sticks.
Oregon just tried exactly that, but with disastrous results. It recently reversed itself.
Similarly, California just voted in ballot initiatives to roll back its decriminalization statewide. It’ll soon be harder to loot without consequence (addicts are looting to “pay” for their “free” lifestyles), and the police wil
Re: (Score:1)
There is no progressive policy so idiotic that rsilvergun won't support it.
The somewhat BC government introduced government-run safe injection sites, with social services, AND decriminalized drugs a few years ago. It is now trying to recriminalize its use in public places, because patience for public disorder has completely worn out. I say "trying" because BC's supreme court put a stop to one of the government's legal arguments, and there are more to come next year. It is bad enough that the government has
Re: (Score:3)
> we could make all this go away tomorrow just by legalizing hard drugs and treating them as a medical condition.............. And here's the hard part you have to actually take care of drug addicts even though everybody hates them with a passion.
But here's the thing...you DON'T have to take care of them.
The consequences for adults making stupid decisions for themselves, do not have to be everyone else's problem.
If more people saw the terrible consequences of making bad decisions...they'd be a lot more cautious about those decisions. So I say, stop giving people a "soft landing"....let the consequences of stupidity be horrific.
Re: Something isn't right about this article (Score:2)
The majority of people use drugs cause they make you feel good. What addiction are you treating? The addiction to feeling good? Good luck with that.
Re: Something isn't right about this article (Score:2)
Also, everyone knows at least one functioning addict. If you dont, it is because the ones you know are good at hiding it.
Mexicans speak Portugese (Score:2)
Everyone knows that.
"stricter chemical export controls from China" (Score:3)
Nice to see some mention of help from China on this issue, and implications that the fentanyl in question isn't actually made in China...contrary to what many people seem to be saying.
Why is this such a problem in the USA?
All the raw materials come from China (Score:2)
And you only need a few pounds of raw materials for a lifetime supply of fentanyl (as your life expectancy will be reduced to a single digit number).
Recruitment Post (Score:2)
What is this, a recruitment post?
Non-paywalled link (Score:4, Informative)
[1]https://archive.is/Qm7PV [archive.is]
[1] https://archive.is/Qm7PV