Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents in Houston have seized more than 300,000 kilograms of chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine. Officials reported that the chemicals were shipped from China and intended for labs operated by the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, a group recently designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, as reported by CW39.
The seizure required 24 eighteen-wheeler trucks to transport the chemicals to an HSI storage facility. This operation is the largest seizure of meth precursor chemicals in U.S. history. The substances seized included 164,880 kilograms of benzyl alcohol and 151,560 kilograms of N-methyl formamide, both solvents used in pharmaceutical manufacturing and methamphetamine production.
Officials said this interception prevented the production of nearly 190,000 kilos of methamphetamine, which holds an estimated street value upwards of $569 million. The collaborative investigation involved multiple agencies, including the ICE, CBP, DEA, FBI, and stated by KHOU, this effort is part of an extensive Attorney General directive aiming to completely eradicate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
In Fiscal Year 2024, CBP seized 78,925 kilograms of methamphetamine along the southwest border, making this recent bust significantly larger. The seizure was carried out under the terrorism forfeiture provision, enabled by the designation of the Sinaloa Cartel as a terrorist organization, which provides law enforcement with expanded legal authority. In 2023, over 34,800 Americans died from overdoses involving psychostimulants, mainly methamphetamine.
