Market
Which major Mexican university will be implicated in a cartel recruitment scandal by mid-2025?
2
Resolution / Starting Odds
UNAM • 25%
Tec de Monterrey • 25%
IPN • 25%
Other • 25%
Investigative reports from credible news outlets or official investigations
Story
Mexican Cartels Recruit Chemistry Students for Fentanyl Production: NYT Report
Dec 1, 2024, 07:05 PM
Mexican drug cartels are recruiting university chemistry students to produce fentanyl and its precursor chemicals, according to a New York Times report. The cartels are targeting students in Mexican universities, offering them lucrative incentives to synthesize compounds necessary for fentanyl production. This marks a shift in strategy as some cartels, such as the Sinaloa Cartel, aim to reduce reliance on precursor chemicals imported from China. These chemicals are often disguised as other goods and shipped to the United States and Mexico. The recruitment of chemistry students highlights the cartels' efforts to access specialized talent for drug manufacturing, raising concerns about the potential escalation of the fentanyl crisis.
View original story
Similar markets
Yes • 50%
No • 50%
Increased security presence • 25%
No significant action • 25%
Arrests and prosecutions • 25%
New educational policies • 25%
No • 50%
Yes • 50%
Suspension of students • 25%
Expulsion of students • 25%
Other actions • 25%
No action taken • 25%
No • 50%
Yes • 50%
Financial incentives • 25%
Other • 25%
Educational partnerships • 25%
Coercion or threats • 25%
Military • 25%
Federal Police • 25%
Joint Operation • 25%
Local Police • 25%
No • 50%
Yes • 50%
Sinaloa Cartel • 25%
Other • 25%
Jalisco New Generation Cartel • 25%
Gulf Cartel • 25%
Deterioration of relations • 25%
Decreased cooperation • 25%
Increased cooperation • 25%
Unchanged cooperation • 25%
Decrease in political assassinations • 25%
Other impacts • 25%
No significant change • 25%
Increase in political assassinations • 25%
Los Chapitos have highest bounty • 25%
Rafael Caro Quintero has highest bounty • 25%
'El Mencho' has highest bounty • 25%
Another trafficker has highest bounty • 25%