A few days ago, the Mexico City International Airport (AICM) announced the seizure of 'significant quantities' of chemical precursors that would be sent to Narita, Japan, but which is the Japanese mafia to which these substances would be delivered and who links do you have with Mexican drug traffickers? We tell you.

According to the Global Organized Crime Index; Japan is a place of illicit substance consumption and one of the 10 largest importers of pseudoephedrine, which is used to make methamphetamine. And this drug is one of the drugs with the highest smuggling rate in the country and is also one of the most lucrative in that nation.

In recent years, Mexican cartels have strengthened their ties with international mafias to whom they supply drugs and precursors. In this sense, Mexican drug traffickers have built a solid relationship with the Japanese Yakuza, since almost all the illegal substances consumed in that country are imported.

According to a report from the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB ), since 2015 the Sinaloa Cartel has had operations in Japan. While the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is in charge of providing the Yakuza with the cocaine they distribute in Japanese territory, which sells for around 700 dollars (around 12,600 pesos at the current exchange rate) .

In exchange, the Japanese would pay with chemical precursors used to make fentanyl. Although the exchange has been successful for both mafias, in recent years the Japanese government has tightened efforts to control the yakuza, which has led to the decrease in their financing sources and the desertion of their members.