Federal security forces seized nearly six tonnes of methamphetamine from a property in Sinaloa on January 27 in what authorities are calling “the most important seizure made under the current government.”
The army, National Guard and agents from the Attorney General’s Office collaborated in confiscating 5,833 kilograms of the highly addictive illegal stimulant in Carboneras, Sinaloa, 42 kilometers northeast of Culiacán. The drug was found in both crystallized and liquid form.
The Defense Ministry (Sedena) said it was the biggest methamphetamine bust in Mexico since President López Obrador took office in December 2018.
Although there were no arrests made, the huge seizure is a big coup for federal forces, and figures high in international terms. In October, more than 55 million methamphetamine pills and just under 1.7 tonnes of methamphetamine were seized in Laos, in what the United Nations called the largest ever single seizure of illegal methamphetamine in Asia, the region where production of the drug is most prevalent.
In November, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced a massive almost eight-tonne bust at the U.S.-Mexico border at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego. A Mexican citizen was arrested on trafficking charges.
The Defense Ministry said that confiscating the illegal substances would help protect the health of citizens. “This type of addictive substances is prevented from reaching Mexican young people and affecting their integral development … [the security forces] reaffirm their commitment to ensure and safeguard the well-being of citizens, helping the government guarantee the peace and security of Mexicans.”
Sinaloa is home to the Sinaloa Cartel, once headed by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is serving a life sentence in Colorado. His wife was sentenced to three years’ jail time in November and U.S. authorities have offered up to US $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of any of his four sons.
However, it has not been officially confirmed to which criminal group the substances belonged.
With reports from Reforma
