Over 1 million Americans have died from drug overdoses since 2000, with some 70-80% of these deaths involving a fatal dose of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45. In 2023, the U.S. government seized 77 million fentanyl pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder. These record seizures represent enough to kill every American. At the heart of this crisis are precursor chemicals, almost exclusively manufactured and exported from China to the Mexican Sinaloa and Jalisco cartel organizations. China likely views this complex intersection of public health and international relations as a bargaining chip to gain concessions from the U.S. 

3GIMBALS today released its cutting-edge Synthetic Narcotics Precursor Chemical Seller Dashboard Prototype—a game-changing tool that brings innovation and precision to the counternarcotics fight.  This dashboard redefines the landscape of narcotics supply chain analysis with an interactive interface, crafted to unveil intricate connections between precursor chemicals, sellers, exporters, export ports and destinations.  Click on any element […]

China’s distant water fishing fleet has inflicted immeasurable harm on the global community, in particular nations across the global south. The global fish stock is in decline as China amasses a distant water fishing fleet that dwarfs its competition. The United Nations estimates that almost 90 percent of the global marine fish stocks are depleted, […]

Criminal organizations and malign state actors exploit natural resources across their regions of influence. High demand for natural resources drives increased exploitation and foreign investment. 3GIMBALS recently analyzed strategic competitors’ activities and followed the flow of media, natural resources, and money to track influence. What we found illuminates the dark truth that authorities have been […]