14 million doses of fentanyl seized from secret drug lab in Mexico

Mexico’s government said Thursday it had seized 14 million doses of fentanyl, the latest major haul in a drive to stem the flow of the powerful opioid into the United States.

The Public Security ministry said the drugs were found during raids on a clandestine drug laboratory and warehouse in the municipality of Villa de Alvarez in violence-hit western Colima state.

At the warehouse, police found “approximately 270 kilograms of a substance with characteristics similar to fentanyl, both in powder and pill form,” which the ministry said was equivalent to about 14 million doses.

It said six people were arrested but did not say when the operation took place nor give the estimated street value of the drugs.

It was not a record for fentanyl hauls, officials told AFP, pointing to a 2024 operation that yielded a ton more of the drug.

The raids come as President Trump ramps up his criticism of Mexico’s record on fighting drug trafficking, despite the recent capture and killing of a notorious drug lord.

At a summit with right-wing Latin American leaders in Florida last weekend, where he launched a 17-country Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, Mr. Trump declared that cartels were “running Mexico” and vowed to “eradicate them.”

In December, he classified fentanyl, a powerful painkiller responsible for tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the United States each year, as a “weapon of mass destruction,” placing it in the same category as nuclear and chemical weapons.

Mexico’s left-wing President Claudia Sheinbaum argues that U.S. weapons are fuellng cartel activities and called on Washington to halt the flow of guns south across the border.

Mexican authorities regularly find and raid clandestine laboratories. About two weeks ago, naval personnel discovered a hidden drug laboratory in the country’s Durango region and discovered over 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine.

Over just a few days in January, four laboratories were raided. In one, also in the Durango region, a land patrol found a huge stock of chemical precursors. In Sinaloa, the home of the notorious cartel that shares the region’s name, authorities seized over 1,650 pounds of meth and another stockpile of precursors. More chemical precursors and laboratory equipment was found in Michoacán.   

Mexico has been wracked by violence in recent weeks after a military operation led to the death of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, or “El Mencho.” The operation took place in the western state of Jalisco, which is known as the cartel’s base. During a shoot-out, Oseguera Cervantes was injured. He died while being transported to Mexico City.