Today, a significant portion of Mexican cartels' revenue comes from the US methamphetamine market, which is estimated to have an annual retail value of approximately $5bn. In the last five years, Mexican cartels have increasingly upped the production of synthetic drugs and smuggling to the US to keep up with the increased demand across the border.

Mexican cartels import ephedrine and benzyl methyl ketone (BMK) - precursors of crystal meth - from China, transform it into methamphetamine on Mexican soil, and then ship the drug to the US. The coronavirus lockdown in China, however, has caused Chinese companies to operate at 50 percent capacity, severely affecting the cartels' ability to import the chemicals they need to produce meth. This has led to an unprecedented increase in meth prices. As prices skyrocket, Mexican and US meth users will likely look for substitutes.

Crystal meth can be substituted with crack cocaine, which comes from Colombia. Due to this shift, the logistics of the drug supply chain in South America will play a fundamental role in sustaining Mexican cartels during the current crisis.

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https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/coronavirus-narcotics-drug-cartels-survive-covid-19-200427131004141.html