Army officials did not say what drug gangs could have been behind the dozens of blue barrels filled with powdered meth. Army General Gilberto Hernandez Andreu said the meth was ready for packaging. There was no information on where the drugs were headed.
Jalisco has long been considered the hub of Sinaloa’s meth production and trafficking. Meanwhile, meth use is growing in the United States, already the world’s biggest illicit drug market. The haul could have supplied 13 million doses worth over $4 billion on US streets.
The Sinaloa cartel, headed by Joaquin “El Chapo’’ Guzman, is equipped to produce and distribute drugs for the world, said Antonio Mazzitelli, the regional representative of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
“Such large-scale production could suggest an expansion . . . into Latin American and Asian markets,’’ Mazzitelli said of the find. But he also noted, “it may be a product that hasn’t been able to be sold, and like any business, when the market is depressed, stockpiles build up.’’
“This could potentially put a huge dent in the supply chain in the US,’’ said Rusty Payne, US Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman.
