Mexican authorities seized over a ton of fentanyl in the largest cartel-controlled Sinaloa state this week, marking the country’s largest-ever bust of the deadly synthetic opioid amid escalating pressure from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
“It is the largest seizure of fentanyl pills that has ever been made,” President Claudia Sheinbaum announced, noting the haul contained “more than 20 million doses” worth approximately $394 million.
Security forces claimed they discovered 800 kilograms of fentanyl in a truck at one house and 300 kilograms at a second location, along with industrial mixers, scales, and chemical precursors. Two men were arrested in a separate operation carrying additional fentanyl pills.
The raids come as Trump threatens steep tariffs on Mexican exports if immediate action isn’t taken by the country to stem the flow of illegal immigration and drug smuggling.
“This tariff will remain in effect until such time as drugs, in particular fentanyl, and all illegal aliens stop this invasion of our country!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“These actions will continue until the violence decreases in the state of Sinaloa,” Security Minister Omar García Harfuch wrote on social media. His agency reports over 5,300 arrests and 58 tons of drug seizures since Sheinbaum took office October 1.
Security analyst Eduardo Guerrero sees the crackdown as strategic by the Mexican government.
“Trump’s threats, without a doubt, have set the wheels spinning. All of this is being done to arrive at the negotiating table with Trump’s security team with a portfolio of achievements.”
The operation comes amid heightened violence in Sinaloa following the arrest of cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, who was allegedly betrayed by the son of jailed kingpin “El Chapo” Guzmán. Over 50 people have been killed in the state in the past week.
Sheinbaum’s administration has emphasized intelligence operations and coordination between federal and local forces, marking a shift from her predecessor’s “hugs, not bullets” approach to cartel violence.
“I no longer hear the ‘hugs, not bullets’ saying,” noted security analyst Josué Ángel González Torres. “There are substantive changes that seem to be positive.”
The fentanyl seizure coincides with other enforcement actions, including a raid on Mexico City’s “Mexico Mart” where authorities confiscated over 262,000 counterfeit products from Asia, highlighting the government’s broader crackdown on illegal trade and illegal immigration ahead of Trump’s inauguration.