MEXICO CITY, OCT 20 – The Mexican navy recently announced that they have seized more than 8.3 tons of drugs in the Pacific Ocean, a record for a single operation at sea.
“Members of the navy seized 8,361 kilograms of illegal cargo, which is the largest amount of drugs seized in a maritime operation, something that has never happened in history,” said a statement from the Ministry of the Navy.
It did not say what kind of drugs were seized, but said they were worth 2.099 billion pesos.
A total of 23 people were arrested during the raid that took place southwest of the port of Lazaro Cardenas, off the west coast of Mexico.
The drugs were distributed in six small boats and one of the vessels was a submarine, which showed complex actions on the part of the sailors, the ministry added.
The largest drug seizure in Mexican history was 23 tons of Colombian cocaine in November 2007.
Mexico has been a hub for drug smuggling into the United States for decades, with a large number of cartels fighting for control of the trade. – AFP
