The Mexican Navy recently seized a shipment of cocaine weighing 672.9 kilograms off the coast of Oaxaca, the Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR) announced on Thursday.

The bust included the seizure of a small vessel with two outboard motors and 29 drums containing 1,219 liters of fuel.

Six suspects were taken into custody, though no information about their nationalities was released.

The seizure occurred in the Pacific Ocean approximately 73 nautical miles (135 kilometers) southeast of the port of Santa Cruz Huatulco, in the 18th Naval Zone.

The Navy credited field and office work for uncovering information about a possible transfer of illicit cargo, after which Navy ships and aircraft were quickly sent into action. 

But as soon as Navy personnel spotted their boat, the suspected smugglers realized the jig was up and tried to flee. A high-speed chase ensued and, needless to say, the suspects were pursued and captured.

The entire action was carried out by the Mexican Navy in its Coast Guard role. The Mexican Navy includes the Mexican Naval Infantry and the Mexican Coast Guard.

The recent bust wasn’t as large as some recent Navy seizures – such as 4,400 kilograms from two vessels in late August and 922 kilograms from a single vessel one week later – but it did continue a trend of large cocaine seizures at sea.

One of the seizures was of a submarine off the coast of Baja California last June. The vessel, considered the largest narco-submarine seen in the last five years, was found to be carrying 3,500 kilograms of cocaine.

Overall, the Mexican Navy had a record year of illicit drug seizures in 2023.

With reports from Quadratin