The Explosion Of Fentanyl Addiction In Mexican Border Cities And What's Driving It

Fentanyl addiction has surged in Mexican border cities like Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez, fueled by the spillover from the U.S. opioid crisis and the mass production of illicit fentanyl by cartels. Authorities warn that fentanyl has become an “emerging drug” in northern Mexico, often mixed with other substances such as heroin and cocaine, making overdoses increasingly lethal. Overdose mortality is being driven up by polysubstance use and insufficient testing infrastructure to accurately assess the problem. At the same time, requests for addiction treatment in Mexico have soared by nearly 500% over the past three years, highlighting the strain on an already under-resourced public health system


Much of the fentanyl reaching these border cities is channeled southward as cartels establish local markets amid U.S. demand. Mexican cartels rely on precursor chemicals from China to manufacture fentanyl domestically—then smuggle it across the border, often using U.S. citizens as couriers through ports of entry or vehicles. Despite their role in producing and exporting fentanyl, Mexico faces a paradoxical shortage of medical-grade fentanyl, leading to dangerous improvisation in hospitals and even fatal meningitis outbreaks. Harm reduction efforts are hampered by the government’s restriction of life-saving tools like naloxone, leaving border communities vulnerable to both rising addiction and inadequate treatment.

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Elections Mexico 2021: Human experiments in Tijuana and Mexicali: How cartels are testing fentanyl on drug addicts | International | EL PAÍS English (elpais.com)