The New York Times dramatically reported that its reporters witnessed the fabrication of fentanyl in Culiacan, Mexico.
But did they actually see what they claimed, or did they get hoodwinked?
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Mexican drug experts have taken issue with key elements of the piece.
The photo accompanying the story shows a masked man preparing something on a kitchen stove.
A medical doctor and health director said it is impossible to manufacture fentanyl in a regular kitchen, as the report shows, without dying or having one’s health seriously affected: “This means that, when a person is exposed to a potent synthetic opioid by inhalation or mucosal contact, even in an amount as small as 4 or 5 small grains of salt, it can produce a degree of toxicity that compromises the life of the operator,” he said.
According to the story, the cook had built tolerance to the deadly drug.
However, the doctor, Alejandro Svarch, said, “There is also no scientifically described physiological phenomenon known as ‘lethal tolerance to toxicity.’ This explains why a laboratory where exposure conditions can be controlled, where there is specialized equipment to perform the chemical synthesis and with professional ventilation systems is inexorably needed; not a domestic kitchen, as the report shows. It is not possible to make fentanyl as referred to in the story.”
The Times is sticking to its story.
Ricardo Chavira Chicano 