Methamphetamine is a multibillion-dollar industry in the United States, though its use is believed to have leveled off since the 1990s. Last year, federal authorities reported that a red, cherry-flavored methamphetamine, called go-fast, showed up in Central and Northern California, aimed at the youth market
U.S. authorities began to notice last year that street prices were soaring for methamphetamine, acting U.S. Drug Enforcement Administrator Michele Leonhart said at a conference in July in Istanbul, Turkey. Authorities attribute the price increase to heightened enforcement pressures south of the Rio Grande.
The lure of drug profits had for years spurred large-scale importation of ephedrine and related products to Mexico, mostly from Asia. At Washington's urging, Mexico last year moved to ban most ephedrine imports and moved aggressively against meth labs.
In one high-profile case, Mexican police busted a methamphetamine ring allegedly run by a Shanghai-born Mexican citizen, Zhenli Ye Gon. He is accused of bringing in vast quantities of an ephedrine derivative from China. Mexican police also seized more than $200 million in cash from Ye Gon's lavish Mexico City residence. The record bust pinched the amphetamine pipeline, authorities said.
As a result, desperate Mexican traffickers turned to Argentina, according to the DEA.
Argentina, like Mexico, is not a manufacturer of ephedrine. But the country's pharmaceutical sector is a major importer, buying mostly from China and India.
Imports of ephedrine to Argentina recently began to soar -- from 2.9 tons in 2004 to 19.1 tons in 2007, according to government figures.
Police suspect ephedrine, and possibly manufactured methamphetamine, was being smuggled from Argentina to Mexico via at least two methods -- by "mules" on commercial flights, the diluted drugs sometimes placed in wine bottles carried on board; or disguised as sugar or other products in maritime shipping containers. Once converted to methamphetamine in Mexico, the drug is smuggled into the U.S. by individuals and in cars and trucks, just like other illegal substances.
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Hiring collaborators
But the Mexicans could not do it alone. They needed Argentine partners with links to legitimate pharmacies and drug laboratories, which could legally import ephedrine.
