Security threat shuts down avocado pipeline from Mexico to the US

A security scare in one of Mexico’s biggest avocado-producing states has abruptly stopped US inspections, threatening to disrupt shipments of the popular fruit into America.

The US Embassy announced Wednesday all US government operations in Michoacán had been suspended because of what it described as a “threat to US interests.”

The move includes a pause on the federal inspections required before Mexican avocados can be exported to the United States.

Michoacán Gov. Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla said the inspections were temporarily halted to protect personnel following recent arrests tied to an extortion investigation.

The governor said officials’ priority was to “ensure the security conditions necessary for these operations to resume normally,” noting similar suspensions have occurred before.

Ken Melban, president of the California Avocado Commission, said the development was troubling but not unexpected given longstanding security concerns in the region.

“It’s definitely a concern for my growers. Number one, I’m not surprised. We know from fact-based reports that there are issues down there in a multitude of ways, so this does not surprise me,” Melban told The Post.

The stoppage could quickly ripple through the avocado supply chain. Mexico provides roughly 80% of the avocados imported into the United States, with Michoacán serving as the country’s largest export hub for the crop, often referred to locally as “green gold.”

Americans’ avocado obsession depends heavily on Mexico. The US imported a record 2.87 billion pounds of fresh avocados last year, about 83% of them from Mexico. While California produces about 90% of the nation’s homegrown avocados, its crop isn’t nearly large enough to satisfy the country’s appetite.

The US Department of Agriculture stations inspectors in Mexico to examine orchards and packing facilities, ensuring exported produce meets US standards and is free of harmful pests. Security concerns have forced similar inspection suspensions in the past.

The avocado trade has become a multibillion-dollar business.

Mexico exported about $3.65 billion worth of avocados to the United States in 2025, and shipments during the first four months of 2026 climbed roughly 35% compared with the same period a year earlier.

The western Mexican state is also a hotspot for organized crime.

At least four drug cartels — designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration — operate in the region, profiting not only from narcotics trafficking but also from extortion schemes targeting the lucrative avocado industry.

Melban said the suspension also underscores broader concerns about relying so heavily on fruit grown in a region plagued by cartel violence.

“Our goal is to see stability restored to what the Mexican avocado industry provides. Michoacán—the state currently under scrutiny—has a Level 4 travel advisory from the State Department warning U.S. citizens not to travel there. When the majority of imported avocados come from a state that is severely compromised, where the U.S. government says it isn’t safe for Americans to travel, counting on uncompromised inspection programs becomes unrealistic,” he said.

Michoacán State Security Secretary Antonio Cruz told The Associated Press that one of the recent arrests involved Alfonso Fernández Magallón, better known as “El Poncho,” an alleged cartel leader accused of operating in the avocado-growing region surrounding Los Reyes.

US Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson praised the weekend arrest.

The US government had previously offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Fernández Magallón’s capture.

Cruz said authorities were not aware of any direct threats or incidents involving US avocado inspectors. Even so, officials dispatched about 300 security personnel to the Los Reyes area as a precaution.

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