Lockdowns are bad for all sorts of businesses – including drug cartels. “They are facing a supply problem and a demand problem. Once you get them to the market, who are you going to sell to?” says Alejandro Hope, a security analyst.
NEW YORK — Coronavirus is dealing a gut punch to the illegal drug trade, paralyzing economies, closing borders and severing supply chains in China that traffickers rely on for the chemicals to make such profitable drugs as methamphetamine and fentanyl.
“The godfathers of the cartels are scrambling,” said Phil Jordan, a former director of the DEA’s El Paso Intelligence Center. “This is something we would use as a lesson learned for us,” the head of the DEA, Uttam Dhillon, told AP. “If the disruption is that significant, we need to continue to work with our global partners to ensure that, once we come out of the pandemic, those precursor chemicals are not available to these drug-trafficking organizations.”
“The quarantine of Wuhan and all the chaos there definitely affected the fentanyl trade, particularly between China and Mexico,” said Ben Westhoff, author of “Fentanyl, Inc.” Meanwhile, the gummed up situation on the U.S.-Mexico border resembles a stalled chess match where nobody, especially the traffickers, wants to make a wrong move, said Kyle Williamson, special agent in charge of the DEA’s El Paso field division.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘Cartels are scrambling’: Virus snarls global drug tradeAssociated Press interviews found Mexican and Colombian cartels are still plying their trade but the lockdowns that have turned cities into ghost towns are disrupting everything from production to transport to sales.
Read more »
‘Cartels are scrambling’: Virus snarls global drug tradeNEW YORK (AP) — Coronavirus is dealing a gut punch to the illegal drug trade, paralyzing economies, closing borders and severing supply chains in China that traffickers rely on for the chemicals...
Read more »
‘Cartels are scrambling’: Virus snarls global drug tradeNormally bustling vehicle traffic along the U.S.-Mexico border that smugglers rely on for cover has slowed. Bars and nightclubs that are ordinarily marketplaces for drug dealers have shuttered. And prices for drugs in short supply have soared.
Read more »
New York Virus Deaths Hit Two Week Low, State to Permit Video WeddingsMany marriage bureaus have been closed because of the health emergency, but Cuomo is going to let couples apply remotely, while the state will enable town and city clerks to conduct weddings by video.
Read more »
Asia Today: Singapore sees huge surge in new virus casesBANGKOK (AP) — Singapore reported 942 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, a single-day high for the tiny city-state that pushed its total number of infections to 5,992, including 11...
Read more »
South Korea relaxes some social distancing rules as new virus cases fallSouth Korea extended its social distancing policy for another 16 days on Sunday but offered some relief for churches and sporting fixtures, as it reported just eight new coronavirus infections, the lowest in two months.
Read more »