Fentanyl trafficking to the United States declines after a year of conflict between Los Chapitos and La Mayiza in Sinaloa

Fentanyl trafficking, which has made members of the Sinaloa Cartel priority targets for U.S. authorities, has declined one year after the outbreak of the conflict between two of the most powerful factions of the criminal organization: Los Chapitos and La Mayiza.

According to data from the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP), from September 2024 to last July, approximately 5,408 kilograms of the lethal synthetic opioid were seized in all its sectors and offices along the southern border of the United States.

During that same period, but a year earlier, from September 2023 to July 2024, the seizure of 8,485 kilograms was reported, which currently represents a 36.2% decrease.

In November 2024, it was reported that the internal fracture within the Sinaloa Cartel had had no impact during the first three months of the dispute. However, according to CBP figures, the decline in fentanyl seizures at the border began to become evident in December 2024.

Since then, and until the July 2025 cutoff, US border agents have seized only between a maximum of 515 and a minimum of 270 kilograms of fentanyl per month.