U.S. data indicates a drastic drop in fentanyl crossing the Mexico-U.S. border in 2025. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country’s efforts to disrupt drug trafficking have contributed to the decrease. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE WATCH STAFF
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said in June 2025 that seizures of fentanyl, a dangerous narcotic, have fallen by roughly 40% since January. Sheinbaum attributed the drastic drop in fentanyl seized in the United States as evidence of her government’s success in combating drug traffickers in Mexico and collaboration with the U.S. in combating the drug trade.
Since assuming office in October 2024, Sheinbaum has aggressively confronted transnational criminal organizations (TCO), highlighted by the largest drug bust in Mexican history in December. In that raid, authorities seized more than 20 million doses or more than 1,000 kilograms of the synthetic opioid in Sinaloa. At a June 6 news conference, Sheinbaum applauded the efforts of Mexican security forces. “The reduction of the passage of fentanyl from Mexico into the United States has dropped significantly,” Sheinbaum said.
While the Mexican government is awaiting corroborating data from the U.S., preliminary statistics indicated the decrease in fentanyl entering the U.S. is a result of the collaboration between the nations. “What is this attributed to? To the fact that we are seizing it on this side of the border in Mexico,” she said. The U.S. government has deployed active duty troops, National Guardsmen and other assets to secure operational control of the U.S. side of the border and has increased surveillance and monitoring of TCO activities, which also has contributed to the decrease.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says that Mexican cartels are “at the heart” of a synthetic narcotics crisis in the U.S. The powerful Sinaloa Cartel “dominates the fentanyl market through its manipulation of the global supply chain and the proliferation of clandestine fentanyl labs in Mexico,” stated the 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment. The cartel has been “producing bulk quantities of fentanyl since at least 2012,” the DEA said.
The record-breaking fentanyl bust in December 2024 shut down a large processing facility run by the Sinaloa Cartel. At the time, Mexican Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection Omar Garcìa Harfuch said the enforcement actions would continue as Mexico dismantles TCOs within its territory. “We do it because we don’t want fentanyl to reach any young person in the United States. But, also, because we don’t want fentanyl to reach any young person in Mexico or anywhere in the world,” Sheinbaum said at the news conference.
The U.S. has provided training and assistance to Mexico to bolster its fight. U.S. Special Forces Soldiers have conducted training with Mexican Naval Infantry Marines, and the U.S. government has provided intelligence on the cartels to their Mexican counterparts. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data indicates that the joint effort of Mexican and U.S. authorities to combat fentanyl have yielded results. The Washington Post newspaper, citing CBP data, reported in June 2025 that the average monthly seizures of fentanyl at the Mexican border have dropped by more than half — from 771 kilograms in 2024, to 338 kilograms this year. Actions taken against precursor chemicals used to produce fentanyl have also proved effective. The DEA’s 2025 annual threat report stated “many Mexico-based fentanyl cooks are having difficulty obtaining some key precursor chemicals” to make the drug.
U.S. antidrug agents have been trying to outwit precursor suppliers. One program run by Homeland Security Investigations, Operation Hydra, resulted in the seizure of more than 1.54 million kilograms of chemicals, the Post reported.