How U.S. Anti-Narcotics Agents Brought Undercover Ops to Mexico (And No One Talked About It)
Unraveling the history of Mexico's drug war, this text exposes the clandestine world of undercover operations. From the debunked poppy cultivation myth to the evolution of covert tactics, it reveals the challenges and successes of law enforcement's battle against drug cartels.
World War II, that monumental conflict of global proportions, had its share of bizarre stories and half-truths. Some myths emerge from dark alleys of history, shrouded in intrigue and secrets. Among these is a peculiar tale that continues to ripple through the world of pop culture and even some academic circles: the alleged covert deal between the U.S. government and Mexico to cultivate poppies for the production of wartime morphine. Like a well-crafted spy novel, this story, though enticing, falls squarely into the realm of fantasy. Let us dive into this world of clandestine narcotics agreements, where historical facts and fiction intertwine in sometimes absurd ways.
The myth claims that during World War II, the near-total interruption of transatlantic trade caused an acute shortage of opium in the United States. Opium, the raw material used to produce morphine, was indispensable on the battlefield, where soldiers needed a reliable supply of painkillers for their battle wounds. Traditionally, opium had been sourced from far-flung regions like India, Turkey, Persia, and Yugoslavia. But with shipping routes disrupted and supplies dwindling, the United States government, the story goes, faced an impending morphine crisis.
