Politics Could Imperil Probe of Narco Access to U.S. Chemicals
- Arrest of former Mexican defense minister in L.A. angers AMLO
- Lab experts doubt Avantor jugs had significant legitimate use
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A political feud between the U.S. and Mexico is threatening to hinder an investigation into the diversion of chemicals by drug cartels, as an array of experts question whether one American company’s sale of those chemicals in Mexico had any significant legitimate purpose.
A Bloomberg Businessweek investigation revealed last year how Avantor Inc. cultivated a remarkable product line in the thick of America’s heroin epidemic: selling the sole essential heroin-making chemical across Mexico in jugs that are big enough to make lucrative quantities of drugs, but small enough to load into the trunk of a car.