KJZZ is a service of Rio Salado College,
and Maricopa Community Colleges

Copyright © 2025 KJZZ/Rio Salado College/MCCCD
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

DEA: Mexican Drug Cartels Remain Untouched By The Pandemic

MEXICO CITY — The DEA has just released its  2020 National Drug Threat Assessment, an annual publication to understand the impact of drug trafficking in the United States.

According to the federal agency, the pandemic has not seriously impacted these illicit activities — and Mexican drug cartels are even taking some advantage from it.

According to the DEA, Mexican cartels are the greatest criminal drug threats in the U.S., and their capacities were not significantly diminished by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The agency says Mexican cartels are increasingly responsible for producing and supplying fentanyl, as they also continue to expand in the U.S. methamphetamine market.

And, while these criminal organizations may have encountered initial difficulties during the pandemic obtaining prime materials, they faced no significant impacts from public health restrictions.

The agency says the Sinaloa and the Jalisco New Generation cartels have used the pandemic to artificially inflate pricing for methamphetamine in the U.S.

Rodrigo Cervantes was KJZZ’s bureau chief in Mexico City from 2016 to 2021.