Border Wall in San Diego

Drug Trade Struggling at the Border During COVID-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic led U.S. officials to close the Mexico border to nonessential travel, adding another hurdle for the cartels but possibly helping law enforcement.

COVID-19 has found yet another victim. Though not a small business, and certainly not one that would qualify for a government loan, the illegal drug trade is struggling at the border. Law enforcement isn’t complaining but celebrating having the upper hand.

The coronavirus is creating tough times for drug criminals as borders are closed and causing headaches for supply chains. It is making life easier for law enforcement.

Even drug criminals are having a tough time because of the coronavirus -- as closed borders and severed supply chains spark headaches for smugglers -- but it’s making life easier for the people in charge of catching them. The black market is recording a noticeable impact.

“We’re seeing those disruptions on the dark web. Websites that sell illegal drugs, those websites are either shutting down or they’re delaying deliveries,” said Uttam Dhillon, acting director of the Drug Enforcement Adminstration. “We continue to work with our international, federal, state, local and tribal partners to achieve our mission of ensuring that drugs do not reach the American people and poison our communities.”

Meth and fentanyl sales coming from the Mexican cartels are having struggles because the coronavirus has closed borders and cut off supply chains in China.

Because Wuhan China was supposedly the epicenter of COVID-19, and because the city was on a total lock down, it has been more difficult for drug traffickers to get the chemicals out of the city, and Mexican cartels haven’t been able to get the supply they would like to have.

In New Mexico, DEA agents with the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program said the shortage has forced cartels to raise prices. The biggest threat was methamphetamine but they’ve seen a big rise in fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.

The coronavirus pandemic led U.S. officials to close the Mexico border to nonessential travel, adding another hurdle for the cartels but possibly helping law enforcement.

CBP officers within the Tucson Field Office’s areas of responsibility have made more arrests at the start of 2020 than in the same time period in 2019. In January 2020, they made 187 narcotic arrests compared to 178 in January 2019. In February 2020, they made 170 arrests compared to 153 in February 2019.

However, after closing the border to nonessential travel, arrests began to fall in March going from 193 arrests in 2019 to 157 in 2020.

“We’re seeing price increases of methamphetamine and, of course, a price increase usually means there’s a decrease in supply, so this may mean that we are actually seeing, as a result of the pandemic, a decrease in the result of the amount of illicit drugs coming into our country,” Dhillon said.

Like other businesses, this slowdown is expected to be only temporary. Analysts have said as long as there’s demand in the United States for these drugs, the cartels will find ways to bring them in.

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher/Editor in chief of Security Today magazine.

Featured

  • AI to Help Resolve Non-Emergency Calls Across Utah and Decrease 911 Caller Wait Times

    The Utah Communications Authority (UCA), which oversees the state’s next generation 911 technology services, recently announced that public safety answering points (PSAPs) throughout the state plan to implement Motorola Solutions’ Virtual Response technology to automate the receipt and resolution of 10-digit non-emergency line calls in Utah with the help of AI. Read Now

  • Report: 2025 Video Surveillance Market Set to Grow After Small Decline in 2024

    Novaira Insights has unveiled its latest report, “World Market for Video Surveillance Hardware and Software – 2025 Edition.” The research indicates that the global market for video surveillance hardware and software experienced a slight decline of 0.3% in 2024. This performance fell short of previous forecasts, primarily due to a significant decrease of 7.8% in the Chinese market. Conversely, the rest of the world saw a growth of 4.9%. The global market for video surveillance equipment was estimated to be worth $25.0 billion in 2024. Read Now

  • Report Reveals Local Governments Face Surge in Ransomware Attacks with Minimal Resources

    KnowBe4, the cybersecurity platform that comprehensively addresses human risk management, recently released new research highlighting the critical cybersecurity challenges facing state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments. The report details how government organizations have become prime targets for cybercriminals while simultaneously facing severe resource constraints. Read Now

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities