PASADENA, Texas
At a press conference in Pasadena, Texas, US attorney Janine Pirro revealed significant federal actions against drug precursor chemicals, marking one of the largest operations in US history. The chemicals, intercepted during two maritime missions, were headed from China to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.
Pirro highlighted that the operation seized 363,000 pounds of benzyl alcohol, which can be illegally transformed into amphetamine-type narcotics. This substance is also crucial for producing benzyl chloride, a DEA List II chemical that faces restrictions in several countries. In addition, authorities confiscated 334,000 pounds of N-methylformamide, another chemical on the DEA’s Special Watch List for Laboratory Supplies Used in Controlled Substance Production.
Addressing the serious impact of chemical supply lines contributing to the production of harmful illegal drugs, Pirro referred to this ongoing situation as an “undeclared war.”
She noted that the Sinaloa cartel could potentially use this significant stockpile of precursor chemicals to manufacture around 420,000 pounds of methamphetamine. Cartel-operated labs can, in fact, generate large quantities weekly. Pirro estimated that the methamphetamine produced with these chemicals could have reached a street value of approximately $569 million in the Houston area.
Pirro was joined by several officials, including Todd Lyons from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE), HSI Houston Special Agent Chad Planterts, DEA Houston’s William Kimbell, and FBI Houston’s Douglas Williams.
The haul was part of operations that began in Shanghai, China, intended for the Sinaloa cartel, which the Trump administration had designated as a foreign terrorist organization on January 20, 2025, giving prosecutors the authority to carry out such seizures under a terrorism forfeiture clause.
The two maritime actions took place in international waters off Panama’s coast, involving about 1,300 barrels of these hazardous chemicals. Pirro emphasized the scale of the seizure, stating that transporting the chemicals would require 24 semi-trailers for safe storage.
