Feds intercept 1,300 barrels of meth precursor chemicals shipped from China to Mexico
Federal officials made a high-seas interception of hundreds of thousands of pounds of two different precursor chemicals that are used to make methamphetamine, a shipment they say came from China and was destined for the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.Jeanine Pirro, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, announced what officials called the largest ever bust of precursor chemicals being shipped to a foreign terrorist organization during a news conference in Pasadena, Texas, on Wednesday.
"Tons of chemicals that are used to create synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl are shipped from China to Mexico in China's undeclared war against America," Pirro said.
Pirro said that 1,300 barrels containing 363,000 pounds of benzyl alcohol and 334,000 pounds of N-Methylformamide were seized from two different vessels on the high seas. Both chemicals, Pirro said, are precursor chemicals that could have been used to produce 420,000 pounds of methamphetamine.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro stands amidst what a U.S. Department of Justice media advisory described as "the largest law enforcement bust of precursor chemicals bound for a foreign terrorist organization" in Pasadena, Texas, Sept. 3, 2025. (Reuters/Adrees Latif)
The meth produced from the seized chemicals would have an estimated street value of at least $569M, Pirro said.
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said the operation’s approach is to target the supply line for illicit drug manufacturers, such as chemical precursors, rather than the finished product.
"Had these precursors made it to the destination, they would have made hundreds of thousands of pounds of methamphetamine, with profits of over half a billion dollars, which would lead to more American deaths here, not only in Houston, but all across the country," Lyons said....
===================================================
This is a potential half billion dollar loss for the cartels. APL says cartels laugh at losses. Is he right?