Chinese Shipment of Meth Precursors Intercepted on Way to Cartel

By Michael Wilson | Texas Scorecard | September 4, 2025

In an operation at the Port of Houston, federal authorities seized 1,300 barrels of methamphetamine precursor chemicals—marking the largest bust of its kind in U.S. history and disrupting a shipment allegedly bound for the Sinaloa Cartel.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) found more than 300,000 kilograms of precursor chemicals used to produce methamphetamine at the Port of Houston.

Authorities allege the chemicals were intended for delivery to labs controlled by the Sinaloa Cartel—a Mexico-based drug cartel designated as a foreign terrorist organization by President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The chemicals, created and shipped from China, could have been used to produce nearly $569 million worth of methamphetamine, according to the release. This single shipment alone could have produced 190,000 kilograms. By comparison, in the entirety of fiscal year 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 78,925 kilograms of methamphetamine along the entire southwest border.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office obtained the seizure warrant under the terrorism forfeiture provision—a law that allows assets to be confiscated in cases involving suspected international terrorists—because of the cartel’s terrorist designation.

In 2023, more than 34,800 Americans died of overdoses from psychostimulants, primarily methamphetamine.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said, “This is the largest seizure of precursor chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine in U.S. history. China was sending over 700,000 lbs on the high seas to the Sinaloa Cartel before my office seized them. Because President Trump and Secretary Rubio declared the Sinaloa Cartel a Foreign Terrorist Organization, we can now strike faster and hit harder.”

Jud Murdock, director of field operations for CBP, added, “These many barrels of precursor chemicals are directly linked to one of the most dangerous and deadly terrorist networks, the Sinaloa Cartel. It’s one of the most violent and brutal terrorist organizations in the world. [It is] responsible for countless deaths, devastation, and destruction of communities in the U.S. and abroad. This represents one of the largest interdictions of its kind in history and highlights the critical role of collaboration and intel sharing in combating threats posed by drug trafficking organizations and terrorist groups.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the effort is part of the attorney general’s February 2025 directive calling for the complete elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations. Due to the size of the seizure, it took twenty-four 18-wheeler trucks to transport the chemicals from the Port of Houston to a secure HSI facility.

Michael Wilson

Michael Wilson is a 5th generation Texan, born and raised just outside of Houston, Texas. He is a devout Christian as well as a husband and father of 2 beautiful children. He fights for Houston daily as a radio host on Patriot Talk 920 AM. @sirmichaelwill