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 Editorials | Issues | August 2007 
Mexican Meth Lord Abused Pharma Links
 Anna Lewcock - US-Pharma
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| | Chinese-Mexican businessman Zhenli Ye Gon was arrested in Wheaton, Maryland Monday July 23, 2007. He is wanted in Mexico on organized crime, drug trafficking and weapons charges and Mexican officials have requested his arrest for extradition. (AP/Richard Drew) |
A Mexican pharmaceutical wholesaler abused his position to supply criminals with the raw materials to produce the illegal drug methamphetamine, according to US Department of Justice claims last week.
Just weeks after the Mexican authorities took steps to restrict the availability of pseudoephedrine, a common ingredient in cold and flu remedies but also used in illicit meth production, a US grand jury has indicted Zhenli Ye Gon on charges of conspiracy.
The owner of a pharmaceutical wholesale business based in Mexico City, Ye Gon was arrested on July 23 and three days later the indictment was returned charging the defendant with conspiracy to aid and abet the manufacture of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, with the full knowledge that it would be imported into the US.
Ye Gon will appear before magistrates in Columbia on Friday morning.
Authorities seized over $200m in drug money linked to Ye Gon, who has been accused of conspiring with illegal drug manufacturers and supplying ingredients for methamphetamine by diverting the precursor chemicals commonly found in cold and flu treatments.
According to the US Department of Justice, Ye Gon had been actively diverting the supplies for the best part of a decade, stretching back to 1999.
Mexico has a reputation as a hub for methamphetamine production, which grew significantly when domestic US production of drug dropped following stricter regulation of the precursor chemicals and stronger law enforcement measures.
However, the country has been taking measures to address the problem over recent years, earlier this month following in the steps of US authorities by issuing stringent restrictions on the sale of decongestant cold treatments that contain pseudoephedrine.
The strict regulations brought in by Mexican officials result in an almost all-out ban on over-the-counter pseudoephedrine products, with doctors' prescriptions required to get hold of the treatments.
Pharmacies have until the end of August to purge their pseudoephedrine supplies, either by sale or return.
Many pharmaceutical companies have already begun a reformulation drive following the US 2006 move to relocate all pseudoephedrine-containing products behind the counter, with similar measures being considered by UK authorities.
Phenylephrine is the alternative ingredient of choice for companies reformulating their cold and flu products, and although has some efficacy disadvantages compared to pseudoephedrine, cannot be used to manufacture methamphetamine and can therefore still be purchased over the counter.
According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the increased restrictions on cold preparations and other medicines containing methamphetamine precursor chemicals did indeed contribute to a sharp drop in the number of meth labs in the US, as has the restricted importation of bulk pseudoephedrine from Canada since January 2003.
However, pharmacies on the Mexican border have been an easy enough option for those from the US trying to get their hands on pseudoephedine products - until now. The new regulations brought in by Mexican authorities will now restrict sales from these outlets, putting another obstacle in the way of illegal methamphetamine manufacture.
Whether this will indeed curb the incidence of Mexican criminal groups taking over territory formerly occupied by defeated domestic US meth labs is yet to be seen, but is another promising step in the fight against the illegal drug and the illicit diversion of pharmaceutical products. |
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