The New York Times has documented that the Sinaloa Cartel continues to traffic fentanyl from Culiacán, Mexico, into the United States despite increased law enforcement operations. The cartel employs a sophisticated "criminal ecosystem" involving lookouts, drivers, packagers, and corrupt officials on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border to facilitate the smuggling. They have adapted their methods in response to government crackdowns by using smaller shipments, secret compartments, bribery, and new routes to evade detection. The cartel also operates clandestine fentanyl laboratories that produce the drug using artisanal techniques. This evolving approach allows the Sinaloa Cartel to maintain its fentanyl trafficking operations amid intensified border security efforts by U.S. and Mexican authorities.