Blow to the Sinaloa cartel: they destroyed 7 poppy and marijuana plantations in Durango

Seven poppy and marijuana plantations located in the state of Durango, bastion of the Sinaloa Cartelwere destroyed by elements of the National Guardwithin the framework of the actions carried out for the eradication of narcotics in the country.

According to the report of the authorities, the uniformed officers managed to get rid of the various plantations in separate actions.

To locate poppy and marijuana fields, the National Guardsmen conducted inspection, verification, security, surveillance and crime prevention patrols in the cities of El Potrero de Jala and Los Algodones, located in the municipality of tamazula, Durango. In these areas, they located at least seven crops.

With regard to poppy cultivation, the agents carried out a reconnaissance operation inside the town of El Potrero de Jala, where they located six plantations of this plant; four with an extension of 6,200 m2 and two with an extension of 1,600 m2 on average. According to their data, there would be nearly 35 poppy plants for each square meter and each of them with an approximate size of 60 centimeters.

On the other hand, the cultivation of marijuana was discovered in the city of Cottons; one of the sites was approximately 7,400 square meters in size. They estimate that for every square meter there were 30 plants with an average height of 40 centimeters.

The report claimed that due to the discovery of the seven plantations They searched for those responsible for the plantation without finding anyoneso they only incinerated the fields to destroy the plants that would later be marketed as medicine by the Sinaloa Cartel.

Likewise, before getting rid of all the fields, the elements took poppy and marijuana samples to make them available to the Federation Public Ministry Agency in the entity, so that it could carry out the corresponding surveys.

“The National Guard supports its commitment to citizens to eradicate in the country the production and distribution of all kinds of substances that affect the health of the population,” the agency said.

The plantations would be Sinaloa Cartel, since they have been established in the Sierra de Durango for several decades. In these spaces, they charge peasants to take care of and grow the plants.

Due to the fact that they give “work” to the population in the fields, the authorities have been repeatedly criticized, accusing them of giving little development opportunities to the people, forced to work for the cartels.

In December 2022, Ángel Mora Chávez, intelligence chief of the Secretary of the Navy (Semar) He proposed setting up support for peasants who grow marijuana and poppy, as well as inviting them to focus on developing agricultural activities within the law.

As stated by the official The universal, Poppy plantations in Mexico have shown a downward trend since 2016 due to various actions carried out by the armed forces throughout the national territory; however, he confessed that there is still a long way to go.

“We must provide support to farmers involved in illegal plantations agricultural activities within the framework of the law, but also to bring them the certainty of a market which offers them a fair price for their products”, accused the head of Semar.

On the other hand, it should be noted that lately the fentanyl and other chemicals have become relevant because the production costs are lower and its manufacture is faster.