Independent producers in Mexico, oblivious to the main cartels, are increasing the illegal production of fentanil and diversifying the drug trafficking panorama, according to Tuesi Gabbard, National Director of Intelligence of the United States.
During the presentation of the 2025 edition of the Annual Evaluation of Threats of the US Government in the Capitol, Gabbard said that, although Mexican cartels continue to be the most immediate threat to the United States, the appearance of independent fentanyl producers in Mexico is changing the stage of drug trafficking.
“These independent producers are increasingly fragmenting drug trafficking in Mexico. The availability of chemical precursors and the ease to produce illicit fentanyl have allowed independent actors to increase the production and traffic of this drug,” Gabbard explained in an audience before the Senate’s Intelligence Committee.
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Increase in independent fentanyl producers in Mexico worries US
Transnational criminal organizations based in Mexico continue to be the main illicit fentanyl suppliers for the US market and are adapting to regulatory and application pressures. According to Gabbard, these organizations use various sources and methods to obtain chemical precursors and equipment, mainly from China and India, many of which are dual -use substances used in legitimate industries.
According to the most recent estimates of the United States government, between October 2023 and October 2024, some 54,000 people died from fentanyl overdose, a figure lower than that recorded the previous year.
The Annual Evaluation of Threats 2025 also warns that non -state criminal groups represent the “most immediate and direct” threat to the security of the United States, closely followed by state actors such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
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