Monday, September 16, 2024

Mexican Navy seizes 1.5 tonnes of cocaine found adrift in the Pacific

The Mexican Navy has announced the seizure of some 1.5 tonnes of “presumed” cocaine off the Pacific coast of southern Mexico.

The Ministry of the Navy (SEMAR) said in a statement on Wednesday that navy personnel found 45 packages of “presumed” cocaine adrift in the Pacific Ocean 170 nautical miles south of Acapulco, Guerrero.

Each package contained 30 “bricks” of “white powder with characteristics similar to cocaine,” SEMAR said.

The 45 packages had an estimated weight of 1,500 kilograms, the ministry said.

All 45 appear in a 30-second video clip scored with cinematic music that was posted to SEMAR’s X account.

The ministry highlighted that “the presumed drugs” were turned over to “the appropriate authorities.”

The navy posted this video of the seized cocaine to its account on X.

The navy frequently seizes narcotics at sea. Among its seizures this year was a 3-tonne cocaine bust off the coast of the state of Quintana Roo in May and an almost 2-tonne cocaine interdiction off the Pacific coast in April.

In March, the navy seized numerous packages of white powder that were emblazoned with the Batman logo.

Organized crime groups use a variety of transportation modes to move cocaine from South America to Mexico and then into the United States.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, “cocaine is typically transported from Colombia to Mexico or Central America by sea and then onwards by land to the United States and Canada.”

In a 2021 report, the Organization of American States outlined seven maritime drug trafficking routes between South America and Mexico or Central America. Five of those routes terminated in Mexico, including in the states of Chiapas, Guerrero and Sinaloa.

Mexico News Daily 

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