Over the past decade, fentanyl has quietly reshaped drug markets in northern Mexico.

As criminal organizations in the country became major producers and exporters of the synthetic opioid to the United States, domestic consumption also emerged along key trafficking corridors, generating unprecedented public health and security pressures.

But this expansion has been uneven. Local criminal groups have been a key factor in determining what reaches consumers and under what conditions. In some cities along the border, these groups actively encouraged fentanyl use. In others, they restricted distribution, confining consumption to specific user niches.

As synthetic opioid markets continue to spread globally, the experiences in northern Mexico offer valuable lessons for designing more effective responses.

Explore InSight Crime’s explainers on the trajectory of Mexico’s fentanyl market and the different models criminal groups have adopted to shape it.

Explore InSight Crime’s deep dive into how criminal governance and decisions made by criminal groups have direct impacts on public health.