A vast transnational drug trafficking network with suspected ties to Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa cartel has been dismantled by European law enforcement agencies in a major international operation. The bust, led by the French National Gendarmerie and supported by Belgian police and Europol, reveals the deepening relationship between Mexican drug cartels and European criminal organizations-and underscores the shifting geography of global synthetic drug production.

The operation culminated in a series of raids on May 19 across France and Belgium, leading to the arrest of 16 individuals, including one Mexican-American national, and the seizure of significant assets and contraband. Authorities recovered more than 200 kilograms of crystal meth over the course of the investigation, alongside €40,000 in cash and cryptocurrency, €80,000 in frozen bank accounts, and luxury goods valued at approximately €100,000. Electronic devices and three vehicles were also confiscated.

According to a statement by Europol on May 28, the dismantled network had extensive operations throughout Europe and even extended as far as New Zealand. Investigators identified two key ringleaders-a French national and an Algerian national-who allegedly coordinated a sophisticated production and trafficking scheme that imported chemical precursors from China, produced meth in EU-based clandestine laboratories, and distributed the finished product across multiple continents.

The investigation, launched after a June 2023 seizure of 216 kilograms of methamphetamine in France, highlights the alarming growth of synthetic drug production in Europe. That single bust, which netted two suspects, exposed the broader infrastructure behind the network and........

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