Rising wave of fentanyl known as the "Golden Triangle" sweeps through Sonora, Mexico

A new "golden triangle" of fentanyl and gun trafficking has emerged, linking Mexico and the United States. This region spans Baja California, Sinaloa, and Sonora, where roughly 92% of seized fentanyl powder and 96% of fentanyl tablets are found.

The Sinaloa cartel, long dominant in the drug trade, is reportedly at the helm of fentanyl production and trafficking. This synthetic opioid has surged in both Mexico and the US, causing the majority of overdose deaths in the US and a significant increase in overdose fatalities in Mexico.

Arizona, a border state, is a hotspot for fentanyl trafficking into the US. Approximately half of the fentanyl seized entering the US is caught coming through ports of entry in Arizona. The state is also a significant source of guns that are recovered in Mexico and traced to a purchase in the US less than a year earlier. Between January 1 and July 24, 2021, Arizona accounted for 57% of guns that were recovered in Mexico and traced back to the US.

The connection between fentanyl and gun trafficking highlights the link between the epidemics of homicide and overdose deaths in the two countries. Roughly 70% of homicides in Mexico are perpetrated with a firearm, and more than two-thirds of firearms recovered from crime scenes in Mexico were sourced from the US.

Mexico has been under pressure to tackle fentanyl trafficking, with the Trump administration designating six Mexican organized crime groups as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). The FTO designation could potentially be used to prosecute individuals involved in firearms trafficking who provide "material support" to such groups in Mexico.

Despite a recent fall in seizures of fentanyl on the border, the situation in the US remains unchanged, with no shortage or price changes reported. Some states in the US have overdose death rates on a level with the homicide rates of the most violent states in Mexico.

The authors wrote that narratives about the casualties and costs of the war on drugs predominantly in the Global South are inaccurate in the context of synthetic opioids and, in particular, fentanyl. The linkages between fentanyl and gun trafficking underscore the need for both countries to address these interconnected issues. The group smuggling illegal medications effective against fentanyl overdoses into the Mexican border area of Arizona are typically criminal trafficking organizations or drug cartels.