Ovidio, the Son of ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, and Fentanyl

Published in Excelsior
(Mexico) on 25 October 2019
by Pascual Beltrán del Río (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Nick Dauster. Edited by Elizabeth Cosgriff.
"We are very concerned about the increase in fentanyl production in Mexico,"* a United States diplomatic source whom I had a conversation with in mid-September told me regarding the state of the bilateral relationship.

It had seemed that, once the migration crisis was overcome, things were running smoothly, but the diplomatic source stressed that the synthetic drug is killing an average of 76 people a day in the United States, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Until two years ago, Mexico was principally a transit point for the chemical precursors to produce fentanyl, a narcotic 50 times more potent than heroin and 10 times cheaper to produce. From one kilogram of fentanyl come half a million doses to be sold on the street for $20 each.

Yet, in a short time, our country has become an important center for the production of a drug that does not need showy trafficking operations since its potency allows small quantities to be sent to the United States through package delivery services. Fentanyl's characteristics have also made unnecessary the distribution systems that cocaine, heroin and other drugs require because users can purchase it directly over the internet and receive it by mail in their homes.

A good portion of those packages and letters pass through a mail reception center at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, where United States agents have made some discoveries. The problem is so serious that last June** Rep. Max Rose criticized the United States government for not stopping fentanyl at JFK and allowing it to flood the district he represents, the 11th District of New York, where overdoses have become an epidemic.

"We’re looking at 0.01 percent of mail being screened ... and they have not shown any sense of urgency," Rose pointed out. "It is like looking for a needle in a haystack," is the response from the Drug Enforcement Administration and other law enforcement agencies that have to look for the drug among nearly 1 million shipments that arrive daily at the airport.

On Oct. 3, I posted on this blog about this issue under the title "Fentanyl, the Next Conflict with the United States." I mentioned the discovery of five clandestine drug laboratories between December 2018 and August 2019, three of them in Sinaloa.

"This is a new reason for the United States to complain to Mexico that will soon make a forceful appearance in the information media," I predicted. That happened barely two weeks after the publication of these words.

Yesterday, in his column, our fellow journalist, Jorge Fernández Menéndez, revealed that the authorities had been pursuing Ovidio Guzmán López, son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, for almost a month.

"The reason," Jorge explained in detail, "is that Ovidio controlled the laboratories for processing fentanyl in Culiacán, one of which had been discovered weeks before. This drug has been sent to the United States and has caused thousands of deaths in that country."

Jorge is right. As I wrote here, that laboratory was found on Aug. 15 in Colonia la Conquista, around five kilometers (3.1 miles) from where Ovidio Guzmán was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 17. Some 2,500 pills of the drug were seized. Fentanyl has become a lucrative business for the Sinaloa cartel and has allowed it to survive pressure from their rivals.

The episode of the failed detention of Ovidio Guzmán demonstrates the pressure to which the government of Mexico is subject from the United States, which, in turn, is under the scrutiny of legislators like Rose.

"We wonder why people hate government," the congressman blurted out, on learning that his recommendations to track the drug had not been addressed. "I’ll make sure to pass on that next time I have to go to a funeral from someone who’s overdosed."

*Editor’s note: This quote, accurately translated, could not be verified.

**Editor’s note: Rep. Rose’s comments were made July 25, 2019.


“Nos preocupa mucho el aumento de la producción de fentanilo en México”, me dijo una fuente diplomática estadunidense con la que conversé a mediados de septiembre respecto del estado de la relación bilateral.

Parecía que, una vez superada la crisis migratoria, las cosas marchaban sobre ruedas, pero la fuente hizo énfasis en la droga sintética que está matando a un promedio de 76 estadunidenses al día, de acuerdo con datos del Centro de Control y Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC).

Hasta hace un par de años, México era, principalmente, un lugar de tránsito de los precursores químicos para producir fentanilo, un narcótico 50 veces más potente que la heroína y diez veces más barato en su etapa de producción. De un kilo de fentanilo salen medio millón de dosis, que se venden en la calle hasta en 20 dólares cada una.

Sin embargo, en poco tiempo nuestro país se ha convertido en un importante centro de producción de la droga, que no requiere de aparatosos operativos de tráfico ya que su potencia permite que pequeñas cantidades sean enviadas a Estados Unidos mediante servicio de paquetería. Las características del fentanilo incluso han vuelto innecesarios los sistemas de distribución que requieren la cocaína y la heroína, entre otras drogas, porque los usuarios pueden comprarlo directamente a través de internet y recibirlo por correo en su casa.

Buena parte de esos paquetes y cartas pasan por un centro de recepción de correo en el aeropuerto John F. Kennedy (JFK), de Nueva York, donde agentes estadunidenses han descubierto algunos. El problema es tan serio que, en junio pasado, el diputado federal estadunidense Max Rose reclamó al gobierno estadunidense por no detener el fentanilo en JFK y dejar que inunde su distrito, el número 11 de Nueva York, donde las sobredosis se han vuelto epidemia.

“Apenas están revisando 0.01% de la correspondencia, eso no es mostrar sentido de urgencia”, señaló Rose. “Es como buscar una aguja en un pajar”, han respondido los agentes de la DEA y otras corporaciones que tienen que buscar la droga entre cerca de un millón de envíos que llegan diariamente al aeropuerto.

El 3 de octubre publiqué una entrega de esta Bitácora sobre el tema, que titulé “Fentanilo, el próximo conflicto con Estados Unidos”. Mencioné el hallazgo de cinco laboratorios clandestinos de la droga entre diciembre de 2018 y agosto de 2019, tres de los cuales se realizaron en Sinaloa.

“Se trata de un nuevo motivo de reclamo de Estados Unidos a México que pronto veremos aparecer con fuerza en el escenario informativo”, pronostiqué. Esto sucedió apenas dos semanas después de publicar esas líneas.

Ayer, en su columna, nuestro compañero Jorge Fernández Menéndez publicó que las autoridades estaban persiguiendo a Ovidio Guzmán López, hijo de Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán, desde hacía casi un mes.

“La razón –detalló Jorge– es que Ovidio controlaba los laboratorios para procesar fentanilo en Culiacán, uno de los cuales había sido descubierto semanas atrás. Esta droga ha sido enviada a Estados Unidos y ha causado miles de muertes en ese país”.

Jorge tiene razón. Como publiqué en este espacio, ese laboratorio fue localizado el 15 de agosto en la colonia La Conquista, a unos cinco kilómetros de donde fue detenido Ovidio Guzmán el jueves 17. Ahí fueron incautadas 2 mil 500 pastillas de la droga. El fentanilo se ha convertido en un lucrativo negocio para el Cártel de Sinaloa y le ha permitido sobrevivir al empuje de sus rivales.

El episodio de la fallida detención de Ovidio muestra la presión a la que está sometido el gobierno de México por parte de Estados Unidos, que, a su vez, está bajo la lupa de legisladores como Rose.

“Por eso la gente odia a los gobiernos”, espetó el diputado demócrata, al enterarse que sus recomendaciones para rastrear la droga no habían sido atendidas. “La próxima vez que tenga que ir a un funeral por una sobredosis, estén seguros que lo voy a comentar”.
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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