Drug cartels engage in illicit activities using various commercial shipping methods, including the 

Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), the high seas, and overland trucking, primarily for smuggling narcotics and precursor chemicals into the United States. Law enforcement agencies actively work to disrupt these operations through interdiction and sanctions. 

Cartel Use of Commercial Shipping & the ICW

• Intracoastal Waterway (ICW): Mexican drug traffickers use maritime smuggling operations, launching from Tamaulipas, Mexico, and utilizing various vessels (fishing boats, shrimp boats, “lanchas”) to transport illicit drugs to locations along the South Texas ICW, Padre Island National Seashore, and South Padre Island.
• Commercial Ports and High Seas: Cartels exploit global commercial shipping lines to move large quantities of drugs and precursor chemicals.
  • Record Seizures: In 2019, U.S. authorities seized over 20 tons of cocaine from the MSC Gayane in Philadelphia, the largest cocaine seizure in U.S. history, which involved using the ship’s crane to load drugs from speedboats on the high seas.
  • Precursor Chemicals: Cartels, such as the Sinaloa Cartel, use commercial shipping containers to import large quantities of precursor chemicals (e.g., dicumyl peroxide, glacial acetic acid) from countries like China into U.S. ports, including Houston and Long Beach, to manufacture illicit narcotics.
• Overland Transportation: Commercial trucking is a primary method for cross-border smuggling. Cartels use long-haul trucks to move drugs and launder money, often concealing illicit substances within legal cargo to evade detection. 

Law Enforcement Response

U.S. law enforcement agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the DEA, collaborate with international partners to combat these activities. Their efforts include: 

• Targeting Financial Networks: The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposes sanctions on individuals and businesses (including transportation companies) linked to cartel operations to disrupt their financial flow.
• Interdiction and Investigation: Agencies conduct investigations and operations, like “Operation Midway Blitz” and “Operation Hydra,” to identify suspicious shipments, seize illicit materials, and pursue those involved in drug trafficking and money laundering.
• International Cooperation: U.S. agencies work closely with Mexican authorities and other international partners to share intelligence and coordinate enforcement actions against transnational criminal organizations. 

For more information on law enforcement efforts and how to report criminal activity, individuals can contact the HSI tip line at 1-866-347-2423 or submit a tip online via the HSI Tip Form. 

Drug cartels engage in illicit activities using various transportation methods, including exploiting legitimate 

commercial shipping operations along major waterways and in ports. The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) in the South Texas region is a known transit area for Mexican traffickers moving drugs from the Gulf of Mexico to inland distribution points. 

Cartel Methods in Commercial Shipping

Cartels, such as the Sinaloa and Gulf cartels, leverage commercial transportation infrastructure (trucks, shipping containers, and vessels) to smuggle large quantities of illicit goods, including narcotics and chemical precursors. 

Key aspects of their operations include:

• Maritime Smuggling: Mexican traffickers use various vessels, including fishing and shrimp boats, to transport drugs from Mexico to the U.S. coast, including areas along the ICW and Padre Island. The drugs are then typically transferred to waiting vehicles or buried for later retrieval.
• Exploitation of Ports and Shipping Containers:Cartels infiltrate global shipping supply chains to move large shipments of drugs and precursor chemicals. This has led to massive seizures at U.S. ports, such as the Port of Philadelphia and the Port of Houston, where chemicals for producing methamphetamines and fentanyl were found in commercial cargo.
• Use of Land Transportation: Once illicit goods are brought ashore or across the physical border, cartels use commercial trucking firms and long-haul drivers to move the substances to various distribution hubs within the U.S., such as Los Angeles and Chicago.
• Illegal Fishing Operations: The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned members of the Gulf Cartel for using illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing operations as a revenue stream and to conceal the smuggling of narcotics and humans across maritime borders. 

Law Enforcement Response

U.S. agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the U.S. Coast Guard, work collaboratively with international partners to disrupt and dismantle these operations. Investigations often result in: 

• Sanctions: The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions businesses and individuals linked to cartels to cut off their financial flows.
• Seizures: Large-scale seizures of drugs and precursor chemicals are a key metric of law enforcement success.
• Prosecutions: Traffickers and their associates face federal prosecution for drug trafficking and money laundering. 

Members of the public can report suspected criminal activity to the HSI tip line at 1-866-347-2423 or online via the HSI Tip Form.