Narcos Contaminate Vapes With Fentanyl To Hook New Users

Mica for cartelinsider.com

The use and sale of vaporizers, also known as “vapes,” in the state of Sinaloa has been making headlines in recent months. Authorities and public health officials have expressed concerns about the safety of these devices for users, including reports of extortion, prohibition, and even fentanyl contamination.

In late October of last year, a man who was completely naked was spotted on the streets of Los Mochis. He was tied to a lamppost and had a cardboard sign attached to his chest. The sign stated that he had been punished for selling vapes and warned others who might consider doing the same. The sign also threatened that those who ignored the warning would suffer even more severe consequences and that they had already been identified.

The images of the young man circulated on social media, raising questions about whether the Sinaloa Cartel was in control of the vape business and why they were interested in it.

The Youth Integration Centers (CIJ) have reported a significant increase in the use of vaporizers among young people in Sinaloa. Although no specific figures were provided, over 300 teenagers confirmed that electronic cigarettes became their gateway to other drugs like marijuana, crystal, and fentanyl in 2023.

The IJC has issued a warning to tobacco consumers about the use of vape pens as an alternative to tobacco replacement therapy. These pens contain aggressive substances that can cause cancer and lung damage. According to Martha Alicia Torres Reyes, the head of the State Commission for Prevention, Treatment and Control of Addictions (CEPTCA), organized crime is behind the sale of altered vaporizers that are being mixed with methamphetamine and fentanyl to attract new consumers.

In an interview with the Río Doce portal, Reyes explained that organized crime is taking advantage of the popularity of vaporizers, as they are meeting the demand despite their illegal status in Mexico. However, they are using dangerous substances to attract young people.

He added that in drug studies conducted by CEPTCA on young vapers, they tested positive for methamphetamine and fentanyl, leading them to believe that, unknowingly and deceived by the drug traffickers, they are consuming synthetic drugs that can later make them addicted.

In late 2023, two minors were paraded in the streets of Guasave, Sinaloa, and the Autonomous University of the West. They were unclothed and had signs hung on their chests, identifying them as vendors of vaporizers.

The message written on the signs was the same as the one from the young man in Los Mochis, the difference is that a hooded man walks with them, “flagging” them as they walk; according to the prosecutor of Sinaloa, Sara Bruna Quiñonez Estrada, behind these events are involved criminal groups looking to diversify their illegal activities; however, she did not clarify which cartel or group is responsible.

There have been recent incidents of criminal attacks on vape shops in two different cities. In Tijuana, more than 1,400 kilometers to the north, five fires have been reported in the past month at these establishments. The authorities and local media have confirmed that these fires were intentionally caused by members of a criminal group.

The main hypotheses point to extortioners’ pressures to pay “protection fees”, although it cannot be ruled out that organized crime is also behind their control to contaminate their content with methamphetamines and fentanyl in a similar way as they denounce it occurs in Sinaloa.

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Mica

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