Mexican drug cartels are pushing tons of methamphetamine into Australia, with North American producers overtaking Southeast Asian countries as the biggest suppliers of meth.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed this week that at least 70 percent of Australia’s methamphetamine market is now supplied from Mexico, the United States and Canada.
AFP commander Jared Taggart said methamphetamine is the second most commonly used illicit drug in Australia, with Australians consuming an estimated 10.5 tonnes a year.
“Australia is an attractive market for organized crime groups who exploit our people to make big profits,” Commander Taggart said on Saturday.
Since 2021, AFP seizures of Southeast Asian-produced methamphetamine in Australia have declined significantly and represented less than 15 percent of the total methamphetamine seized in 2023.
The Mexican Navy found 7,200 bottles of liquid labeled mezcal in August last year that actually contained liquid meth and were on their way to Australia (pictured)
An evidence table shows packages of seized methamphetamine and a gun
Commander Taggart said factors that may have contributed to Australia being a target country for North American-produced methamphetamine included cheaper wholesale prices and the complex concealment capabilities of the Mexican cartels..
“In addition, in October 2020 and January 2021, the AFP and our global partners arrested and prosecuted key members of major organized crime syndicates in Asia,” he said.
In 2022-2023, the AFP and its foreign counterparts prevented more than 23.6 tonnes of North American-produced meth from ending up on Australian streets.
This included 4.36 tonnes seized in Australia.
In the same period, Australians used 10.5 tonnes of the drug, making it the second most consumed drug in the country, according to the National Wastewater Monitoring Drug Program.
Recent intelligence showed that it was cheaper for organized crime gangs to import meth from North America than from Southeast Asia.
The price to produce one kilogram of meth in Mexico was about $1,000, while prices in Myanmar for the same quantity could range from $3,000 to $5,000, authorities said.
“The AFP has a presence in 33 countries and is working closely with our Southeast Asian and North American law enforcement partners to disrupt methamphetamine trafficking at its source,” Commander Taggart said.
“We will continue to disrupt the criminal environment, both onshore and offshore, to ensure life-threatening drugs do not enter the Australian community.”
Last August, a massive 10-ton shipment of liquid methamphetamine bound for Australia was seized by Mexican soldiers who found it in a shipping container loaded with 7,200 bottles of clear liquid labeled Mexican alcohol mezcal.
The meth shipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars was found on a Liberian-flagged ship in the port of Manzanillo on the Pacific coast.
According to the transport documents, the container was destined for Australia.
Mexican Navy shows boxes of liquid meth hidden in bottles of tequila seized at the port of Manzanillo
A huge shipment of liquid methamphetamine bound for Australia was found in a shipping container loaded with 7,200 bottles of clear liquid labeled alcohol mezcal (pictured)
The Mexican Navy, which has taken over customs duties at some ports, said the shipment contained 9.5 tons of liquid meth, although the dry weight of the drugs, once separated from the solution, would be about 5.4 tons.
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