Cartels in Mexico Are Expanding Their Control Over the US Heroin Market Christopher Woody - Business Insider
go to original December 7, 2016

Mexican cartels shift to heroin for US market (DW News)

Opium and heroin production in Mexico has expanded significantly over the past several years, and according to data gathered by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, that increased supply has flooded the US market.

Heroin from each of the world's source areas — Mexico, South America, Southwest Asia, and Southeast Asia — can be found in the US.

But, the DEA writes in its 2016 National Drug Threat Assessment, "analysis of DEA heroin indicator programs data, production and cultivation estimates, and seizure data indicates Mexico is the predominant source of heroin in the United States."

South America, where heroin production in concentrated in Colombia, is the second-most-common source of heroin found in the US. Heroin produced in Southwest Asia can be found in some parts of the US, but it mainly supplies Africa, Asia, and Europe.

"Mexico and, to a lesser extent, Colombia dominate the U.S. heroin market because of their proximity, established transportation and distribution infrastructure, and ability to satisfy heroin demand in the United States," the DEA reports.



Read the rest at Business Insider

Related: DEA: Heroin Seizures at Mexican Border More Than Double Since 2010 (Newsmax)

Related: DEA Says Two Mexico Cartels Battling to Corner Growing US Heroin Market (InSight Crime)

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