Fentanyl Lab Captured in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

Authorities located and captured a fentanyl production lab complete with pill press machines and lab chemicals inside a home in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora yesterday. The seizure matches reporting that synthetic drug production has moved north from Sinaloa to border states like Baja California and Sonora.

In a press release, the Attorney General's Office of Sonora reported that the raid was carried out by SEMAR and Sonora State Investigative Police (AMIC) and occured in the Altar neighborhood of San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, a border city across from Yuma, Texas. The lab appeared to have been inside a home.

Authorities found a 9mm and a .45 pistol, a small amount of ammunition, a bag of M-30 fentanyl pills, various pieces of production machinery, and a 20 liter container of Methanol. 

Methanol is not a precursor chemical used for the production of fentanyl, but is rather used as a solvent for calibration and quality control in laboratories. This is notable as it displays the professionalism of the production operation.

The brand name 'QUIASA' is visible on the methanol container. QUIASA is a chemical supply company which appears to be based out of Mexicali, a city in neighboring Baja California.

Over the last six years, synthetic drug production was primarily centered in Sinaloa state, accounting for between 70-90% of all drug labs. However in early 2023, as a response to government pressure, the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel banned fentanyl production in the city of Culiacan. Dozens of lab cooks who disobeyed the order were hunted down and killed. 

InSight Crime reported that this measure caused production to move north to border states like Baja California and Sonora.

The lab location in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora

Sources: Fiscalia de Sonora, Proceso, InSight Crime, Borderland Beat Archives

Categories: Drug Labs, El Huaso, fentanyl, sonora