Mexican and Chinese criminals have teamed up to form a new criminal organization – the “Dragon Cartel,” which is moving the “cocaine of the sea” (the swim bladder of the endangered totoaba fish) through Vancouver and other Canadian ports in exchange for fentanyl precursor chemicals.
The totoaba fish is endemic to Mexico’s Sea of Cortes (also known as the Gulf of California or the Vermilion Sea), which lies between the Mexican mainland and the Baja California peninsula.
The totoaba is endangered and has been prohibited from being fished since 1975. But that hasn’t stopped poachers from continuing to catch it.
The totoaba swim bladder is in high demand in China and elsewhere in Asia. It’s consumed as a food, and used in traditional medicine and cosmetics. Totoaba swim bladders can fetch tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram.
