Drug seizures have increased at ports up and down Mexico's West Coast, as enforcement agencies fight for control of shipping hubs under the sway of violent cartels.
On July 11, P&I Services Mexico — an company that handles insurance claims for various maritime entities — put out an alert, warning their clients of "a sudden increase in narcotics incidents" at ports across the western coast of Mexico. P&I Services noted that drugs have mostly been found in shipping containers or vessel sea chests (the grated openings on hulls that allow ships to take on small amounts of sea water).
This comes months after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released a lengthy report detailing how Mexico's Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) Cartels "are at the heart" of North America's drug crisis, sending a flood of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl and methamphetamine over the border. At the center of the cartels' power and influence is a complex distribution network rooted in Mexico's busiest ports.
"Infrastructure-wise, it's critical for them to control a port," says Brian Townsend, who served with the DEA for 23 years as a supervisory special agent, among a variety of other roles.
