U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have intercepted a significant shipment of di-cumyl peroxide, weighing 50,000 kilograms, at the Port of Long Beach in California on May 30. This chemical precursor is used by drug traffickers to produce methamphetamines and other illicit narcotics.
The seized shipment originated from China and was intended for the Sinaloa Drug Cartel in Mexico. This discovery was made possible through an initiative launched by ICE in 2019. The initiative employs the agency’s expertise in illicit cross-border trade along with advanced analytical tools to detect suspicious shipments of chemical precursors from countries like China and India that are destined for Mexican drug cartels.
“For far too long, the Mexican drug cartels have raked in billions of dollars at the expense of our local communities leaving nothing but addiction, death and despair in their wake,” stated ICE Homeland Security Investigations Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “This initiative provides HSI with a game-changing method to stay one step ahead of the cartels by disrupting the flow of chemicals that they depend on to produce illicit narcotics.”
Since its inception, this initiative has led to the seizure of over 1,700,000 kilograms of chemicals used for manufacturing methamphetamines and fentanyl. In March alone, nearly 44,000 kilograms of glacial acetic acid were seized at the Port of Houston; these were also intended for the Sinaloa Cartel. Beyond stopping these chemicals from reaching cartels, the initiative has exposed clandestine drug labs' locations in Mexico. Working with Mexican authorities since January 2025, 13 drug labs operated by the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel have been discovered and dismantled due to this initiative.
For updates on ICE's efforts against illicit drug trafficking in Texas follow @HSIHouston on X.
