The New York Times has documented how the Sinaloa Cartel continues to traffic fentanyl from Mexico to the United States despite intensified law enforcement operations. The cartel employs a criminal ecosystem involving lookouts, drivers, and corrupt officials on both sides of the border to facilitate smuggling. They have adapted by using secret compartments, smaller shipments, bribery, and new creative methods to evade detection. The cartel also operates clandestine fentanyl laboratories resembling artisanal setups from decades ago. Authorities have recently dismantled a methamphetamine lab in Chiapas, seized over four tons of chemical precursors in Guerrero, and intercepted a trailer in Tijuana attempting to cross into the U.S. with 2.7 tons of drugs. Meanwhile, the U.S. faces an escalating drug crisis, with fentanyl fueling the worst epidemic in the West and even more dangerous substances emerging faster than authorities can respond.