Sinaloa Cartels Take New Hit As Armed Forces Seize Drugs, Armored Vehicles and Edible Cannabis

In a joint effort by members of the Mexican Navy, National Guard and Mexico's Secretariat of National Defense among other institutions, authorities were able to conduct four different operations in the Sinaloa municipalities of Culiacán, Choix and Salvador Alvarado that resulted in the confiscation of illicit drugs, firearms, armored vehicles and even a clandestine lab on Jan. 6.

In the small town of Los Cedros, close to the Sinaloa-Chihuahua border, authorities seized and neutralized a clandestine "narco" laboratory —one of the largest ever seized by authorities in the region— used to produce synthetic drugs. According to officials, the lab was approximately 43,000 square feet in surface.

Apart from the lab, authorities found 646 kilos of synthetic drugs that looked finished, 860 gallons of liquid chemical precursors and 990 kilos of solid ones, as well as specialized tools and equipment to produce the drugs.

Elsewhere in Sinaloa, in the municipality of Salvador Alvarado, Mexican officials seized an abandoned vehicle that was carrying a wide arrange of drugs as well as vaporizers (or vapes), bullets and most surprisingly edible cannabis products.

According to Infobae Mexico, when the driver of the vehicle noticed the presence of law enforcement he fled the scene and left the vehicle behind. After inspecting the pickup truck, authorities found cocaine, crystal meth and marihuana hidden in bags.

Among the drugs seized by authorities was a wide array of edible cannabis products as well as vaporizers. According to InSight Crime, the Sinaloa cartel faction known as "Los Chapitos" is the group that has a monopoly over such products in Sinaloa, even owning marihuana dispensaries in Culiacán.

"Los Chapitos" and cannabis products

According to reports, "Los Chapitos" count with nearly 20 properties across Culiacán where they produce edible cannabis products such as gummies, cookies, oils and vaporizers. InSight Crime said in its report that Ovidio and Iván Archivaldo Guzmán are believed to be the ones that came up with the idea, wanting to replicate the business model of marijuana dispensaries in the U.S. in Mexico.

Data from the Mexican government says that marijuana is the preferred drug among the population, with nearly seven million people —or 8.6% of all Mexican adults between 18 and 65 years of age— saying they have consumed it at some point in their lives.

According to information released by Mexico's Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), the cultivation of marijuana intensified in Mexico during the 1970's and concentrated along the mountainous terrains of Chihuahua, Durango and Sinaloa, more concretely along the so-called "Triangulo Dorado," the birthplace of the Sinaloa cartel.