1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Mexican Drug Trafficking and Cartel Operations amid COVID-19 Updated October 14, 2021 Mexico is a primary producer and transit country for illicit drugs destined for the United States. Policymakers, including many in Congr
2、ess, have closely watched how the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting illicit drug flow patterns out of Mexico, including the flow of potent opioids. Any changes could affect the extent to which Mexico-based transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), popularly described as ca
3、rtels, pose a law enforcement and national security threat to the United States. Despite early supply chain disruptions, U.S.-bound illicit drug supplies appear to have returned to pre-pandemic levels; illicit fentanyl flows in particular appear to be thriving. Illicit Drug Flows According to variou
4、s press, think-tank, U.S. government, and United Nations reports, the pandemics effect on Mexico-based drug production and trafficking has been mixed. Early COVID-19-related lockdowns and slowdowns in container trade and port activity, particularly in China and India, appear to have caused temporary
