Stories of Mexican cartels in Hong Kong and Chinese brokers

By Stephanie Henaro

The news of another record seizure of methamphetamines from Mexico in Hong Kong is a reminder that there is a story to tell about Mexican cartels on the island.

The half a ton of drugs, with an approximate value of 38 million dollars - hidden in a shipment of cement - surpassed the 240 kilograms, with a value of 26 million dollars - hidden among more than 600 rolls of synthetic leather - seized in August of this year. While this in turn exceeded 110 kilograms, with a value of 9.8 million dollars - hidden in plastic lunch boxes - which was seized in 2019 and so on and so forth.

The presence of Mexican drug cartels in the Asian market has been growing for the past ten years, and it is no coincidence. In fact, the United Nations Drug Control Organization estimates that Southwest Asia alone - which is also the world's largest methamphetamine market - is worth $100 billion annually, and this has clearly encouraged the Mexicans to displace the cartels in the region's golden triangle, which is the area stretching from the Laotian border to Burma and Thailand.