Photo: Wikimedia Commons

By KELIN DILLON

Days after U.S. newspaper The New York Times (NYT) published a bombshell investigative report into alleged fentanyl manufacturing in Mexico, the Mexican federal government and the New York-based publication are continuing their public clash over opposing views on the article’s factual accuracy.  

The article, which was published on Dec. 29, 2024, featured videos and photos of a supposed fentanyl manufacturing lab run by the notorious Sinaloa Cartel out of Culiacán, Sinaloa.

However, shortly after the story’s publication, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called the story “not credible” and claimed that the fentanyl production process is not the same as the one depicted in the NYT’s published photos.

The NYT quickly defended its journalists’ investigation on social media, specifically responding to Sheinbaum’s comments by saying it was “completely confident” in the story and “stand by the reporting fully,” adding that “our journalists spent months investigating the fentanyl industry.”

Later, on Thursday, Jan. 2, during Sheinbaum’s daily morning press conference, Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) Bienstar Director Alejandro Svarch Pérez and Secretary of the Navy (Semar) chemical analyst Lieutenant Juana Peñaloza both offered their analyses of the labs depicted in the NYT report. Both reached the same conclusion as Sheinbaum about the report’s lack of credibility.

Specifically, Svarch Pérez pointed out that the conditions of the purported labs would put the manufacturer’s life at risk due to fentanyl’s extreme lethality and that a domestic kitchen such as the one shown by the NYT would not provide a controlled enough environment to ensure the manufacturer’s safety.

Meanwhile, Peñaloza said that “there are not enough elements to prove that the information presented in the NYT article documents a fentanyl hydrochloride synthesis laboratory” and that more sophisticated equipment than shown is required for its manufacturing.

Still, the NYT once again stood by its report later in the day on Thursday, Jan. 2, saying that “The New York Times stands behind every aspect of our reporting on fentanyl production and testing in Mexico.”

“As hazardous as it is, the synthesis of illicit fentanyl in Mexico under makeshift conditions like those seen by the Times is well established,” continued the newspaper.

“The role of independent journalism is to document the world as it is, bringing the truth to light for audiences everywhere,” concluded the NYT.