Smuggling eggs is more profitable than drugs? Mexico's "transit egg farmers surge" has nothing to do with tariffs.

People who don't use drugs also need to eat eggs, smuggling eggs to the United States, becoming the most lucrative idea for Mexican egg farmers in recent times. (Synopsis: The New Opium War!) The United States cannot stop the smuggling of "fentanyl" painkillers, and 90% of Chinese manufacturers accept cryptocurrencies) (Background supplement: China's chip black market is hot!) Online rumors of "backpack smuggler" recruitment: take 660,000 in one trip and contribute to the motherland) Starting in the spring of 2025, a dumbfounded phenomenon has appeared on the US border: according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), since the beginning of October 2024, as of early March this year, the number of "interception incidents" of eggs and egg products seized has far exceeded the number of seizures of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, or marijuana. Eggs like gold Figures show that there were 5,572 interceptions of egg products, compared with 413 fentanyl-related seizures. If you look at the first two months of 2025, the numbers are even more striking: 3,254 egg-related seizures, compared to 134 for fentanyl. Read more: The New Opium War! The United States cannot stop the smuggling of "fentanyl" painkillers, and 90% of Chinese manufacturers accept cryptocurrencies It must be clarified that this statistic compares the "number of incidents" rather than the total value or volume of the contraband. But this is a very bizarre phenomenon, mainly because the price of eggs in the United States has soared to a record high, such as California, the price of a dozen eggs has even exceeded $8 or even $10, while Mexico, which is only a line away, the price of eggs is often less than $2 a dozen. Such a wide price difference makes egg smuggling a scene. However, the statement that "there are more eggs smuggled than drugs" is misleading because the comparison is "the number of smuggling incidents" rather than the total value or harmfulness. Egg smuggling is mostly an individual act, and many people are not even aware of the regulations, unlike organized drug smuggling, many of which are "marketing organizations" formed by Chinese immigrants who peddle cheap smuggled eggs on the roadside. Chinese peddling "cheap" eggs on the streets of New York | Source: The New York Times Egg crisis in the United States The current egg price crisis in the United States is mainly caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Since 2022, the pandemic has led to the culling of more than 126 million laying hens in the United States, with tens of millions affected between the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025 alone. The plummeting number of laying hens has led to supply shortages, and prices have soared to record highs, with the national average at one point approaching $6.23 per dozen, and even more than $10 in places like California. Other factors such as inflation, supply chain issues, rising feed costs and animal welfare regulations in some states (such as California Prop 12) have also exacerbated price pressures. In addition, market doubts about possible price manipulation by large producers have also sparked calls for investigation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has invested $1 billion to respond to the crisis. In Mexican border cities such as Tijuana, a dozen eggs usually cost less than $2 to $3. Even taking into account the price increase in northern Mexico due to U.S. demand (if there are reports of 70 pesos per kilogram, or about $2.80 per dozen), the spread is still huge. This arbitrage space makes the percentage profit rate of buying at a low price and selling at a high price reach 200-400%, which is enough to attract egg farmers to smuggle eggs offline and risk making money in the United States. Tariffs are not the main reason Many people blame the smuggling of eggs on US tariffs, but there is no basis. Under the current USMCA, Mexican eggs that comply with rules of origin are usually duty-free when entering the United States, but only require customs declaration and cargo verification certificates. Despite Trump's fierce shouts, the United States has not recently imposed specific tariffs on Mexican eggs. On the contrary, the Mexican government has suspended import tariffs on some goods, including eggs, to curb inflation. Eggs vs. Drugs There is also no direct evidence for claims that major Mexican drug cartels, such as the Sinaloa Group, have turned to egg smuggling on a large scale. In the past, Mexican drug lords liked to use drones to smuggle small amounts of drugs, and now the price of these drones is skyrocketing, and the things loaded on them have also become eggs, and suspected ordinary egg smuggling groups have begun to compete with drug lords for drones. The percentage profit margin (200-400%) of smuggled eggs may seem high, but the claim that they "earn more than drugs" is grossly exaggerated in terms of absolute profit and overall size. Drug trafficking in the Americas is worth tens of billions of dollars a year, and the absolute profits of a single drug trafficking far exceed those of eggs. The risks and penalties of the two are also completely different. Egg smuggling is mainly fined, while drug trafficking and drug smuggling face long prison terms and the death penalty. As the price of eggs in the United States gradually stabilizes, smuggling activities are expected to cool down, but the border problems exposed by this topic are worth thinking about, smuggling masks during the epidemic, after the start of the AI trend is smuggling display cards, now it is eggs, what is more attractive than drugs next? Related reports Cartier's heir was arrested in the United States, involved in using USDT to launder money and smuggling drugs, and may be sentenced to up to 85 years in prison China's chip black market is hot! Internet rumors of "backpack smuggler" recruitment: take 660,000 in one trip, contribute to the motherland New Opium War! The United States is difficult to stop the smuggling of "fentanyl" painkillers, and 90% of Chinese manufacturers accept cryptocurrencies 〈Smuggling eggs is more profitable than drugs? Mexico's "Transit Egg Farmer Surge" has nothing to do with tariffs" This article was first published in BlockTempo's "Dynamic Trend - The Most Influential Blockchain News Media".