What are the challenges in battling the Mexican cartels meth trafficking?
If the last 15 years are any indication, it will be difficult to shut down the cartels, at least six of whom are involved in the meth trade. After every regulation handed down from Congress that has in some way limited the ephedrine and pseudoephedrine supply, the cartels have adapted their operations, either by finding overseas sources for the chemicals, figuring out how to extract the chemicals from pill form, or even developing a mechanism to punch pills out from blister packs. Their latest adaptation has been to move operations from California to Mexico where, until very recently, chemical imports were not regulated. According to The Oregonian investigative reporter Steve Suo, who spoke with FRONTLINE about the cartels, there are signs that the cartels are already readying to adapt again should their local pseudoephedrine channels dry up, either by moving to other countries in Latin America or by importing finished meth from Asia, where the drug is very popular.
