Multimillion-Dollar Loss: Federal Forces Destroy a "Drug Laboratory" in Badiraguato

“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat 

The Federal Government announced that an area containing tons of chemicals used in the manufacture of synthetic drugs was also detected in Culiacán.

A “narco-laboratory” and a concentration area were secured and destroyed in Badiraguato and Culiacán, respectively. Several tons of chemicals used in the production of synthetic drugs were stored. These chemicals were destroyed by members of the Mexican Army, representing a loss of more than 11 billion pesos for criminal groups.

The Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) announced through a joint statement that personnel from the Secretariat of National Defense (Defense) located a clandestine laboratory and a concentration area of ​​various materials in these municipalities, as part of an operation to detect and combat drug production.

Through ground patrols, part of this strategy, military personnel located an illegal settlement where they seized a total of 28 organic synthesis reactors, 28 distillers, six centrifuges, 42 burners, and 90 LP gas tanks. The site was classified as a clandestine laboratory used by organized crime groups to produce crystal meth. 

The official statement emphasized that in these two states, a concentration of materials and chemicals was found, where 36,650 liters and 5 tons (700 kilos) of substances used for the production of methamphetamine were seized, representing a loss to organized crime groups in the amount of 11.623 billion pesos.

Once the agent of the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) learned of the materials and chemicals found, military personnel proceeded to destroy them by incineration.

What is a clandestine “narco-laboratory”?

A “narco-laboratory” or clandestine laboratory is an illicit settlement found primarily in mountainous areas and near bodies of water, in this case rivers or wells, used to produce synthetic drugs. Various chemical products are also found there, including acetone, caustic soda, and sodium acetate. Additionally, devices such as organic synthesis reactors, distillers, centrifuges, burners, LP gas tanks, aluminum crushers, drums, pots, and drums, among others, are also found.

Source: Línea Directa