Title: Crystal, Crime, and Collapse: Michoacán‘s Aguacate Industry Unveiled
In Michoacán, the sun rises on a symphony of boots crunching leaves, axes swinging into action, and laughter echoing through the avocado trees. The men scale branches, tie ropes, and leap with practiced ease. This is no ordinary harvesting; it’s a dance, a spectacle. And it’s all fueled by crystal meth.
Arturo Cano / I de V — Uruapan, Mich., Jan. 6, 2025
The scene unfolding before us is a familiar one across Michoacán, the region that supplies the U.S. with the bulk of its avocados. The men, their faces etched with fatigue and exhilaration, are consuming crystal (methylamphetamine), one of the most popular stimulants in the region, to keep up with the relentless pace of their work.
"[Crystal] is really popular," the head cutterрод, leaning on his ax, "because it’s easy to make and cheap." A gram costs just $13, enough for 10 doses that can last up to 15 hours each.
A Substance, a Symptom, a Crisis
Crystal’s prevalence is not merely a curiosity; it’s a symptom of a larger crisis gripping Michoacán’s avocado industry. A crisis that has seen over 150,000 hectares of illegal avocado orchards spring up since 1987, decimating forests of pine, oak, and Mexican fir. A crisis that has degraded water resources, fostered corruption, emboldened criminal organizations, and entrenched precarious labor conditions — all in the pursuit of the "golden fruit."
Alejandro Méndez, Michoacán’s Secretary of the Environment, has witnessed this expansion firsthand. He summarizes the situation with a local colloquialism: "it’s all one big mess," a mess marked by unchecked growth and its consequent social and environmental complexities.
The Crystal Question
The endemic use of crystal among avocado pickers is but one facet of this mess. In 2020, Gady Zabicky Sirot, then the National Commissioner Against Addictions, noted that agricultural workers, including avocado pickers, were consuming stimulants like crystal to sustain the grueling workdays.
Yet, accurate figures on the extent of the problem remain elusive. The last National Addiction Survey was conducted in 2022, and according to the Mexican Social Security Institute, the numbers are "alarming."
Preliminary data from the National Commission for Mental Health and Addictions (CONASAM) suggests that crystal meth continues to be the most consumed substance, with 49.1% of cases treated for substance use disorders in 2023 attributed to it. Worse still, the number of meth-related cases has surged by 416% between 2013 and 2023.
The ‘Trifulca’ and the Demons Unleashed
This crisis unfolds against a backdrop of violent upheaval in Michoacán. The region has been plagued by a "trifulca," a revolution, waged against the powerful Knights Templar cartel. The conflict, now a decade old, has seen the rise of local autodefensas (self-defense groups), the intervention of federal forces, and the eventual institutionalization of these vigilante groups.
Yet, the trifulca has not led to lasting peace. Instead, Michoacán has become a fragmented territory, with various criminalactors vying for control. As Alfredo Castillo, the former "czar" sent by Peña Nieto to Michoacán, once acknowledged, "it’s not about changing one devil for another… It’s about multiplying them."
Two Scenes, One Lesson
A decade ago, Tancítaro, Michoacán’s avocado capital, took up arms against the Knights Templar. Today, patches of its once-bountiful forests lie barren, victims of illegal logging for avocado orchards. Meanwhile, the threat has evolved; the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has emerged as a powerful new player.
In a neighboring municipality, a producer shares a recent encounter. He found two young people, a man and a woman, hiding in his one-hectare avocado grove. They were fleeing the CJNG, he says, having deserted their posts after a marine operation.
The lesson is clear: Michoacán’s avocado industry has grown explosively, but so have the challenges it faces. The crystal-fueled labor force reflects more than just a risky trend; it’s indicative of a system under severe strain.
As Michoacán’s avocado industry continues to boom, it’s crucial to address the crystal meth epidemic and the broader crisis it signifies. Because without meaningful intervention, the gold rush may leave behind not just deforestation and depleted water tables, but also a broken society fueled by addiction and violence.
