Cocaine, crystal meth, counterfeit bills and weapons were among the items seized over the weekend in a major security operation conducted by Mexico City authorities, arresting 61 people in the capital’s Gustavo A. Madero borough.
But perhaps the most surprising confiscation was that of a spider monkey, found during the series of raids on various homes on Friday and Saturday.
The primate was taken into protective custody by the city’s Animal Vigilance Brigade (BVA) for later transfer to the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa), said Mexico City’s Ministry of Citizen Security (SSC) head Pablo Vázquez Camacho during a Monday press conference.
Vázquez also provided other details of the operation: officials seized 944 doses of cocaine powder, more than 240 doses of rock cocaine, 11 kilograms of marijuana, half a kilogram of marijuana in 65 bags, and dozens of bags of crystal meth and methamphetamine, Vazquez said.
Authorities also confiscated four short firearms, ammunition, seven cell phones and several stolen vehicles.
One major development was the arrest of three alleged members of the Los Arroyo criminal group. At a residence in the neighborhood of CTM Atzacoalco, authorities discovered a counterfeiting operation that included 42 sheets printed with 500-peso bills, cutting tools and seven fake ID cards, as well as the recovered spider monkey.
Investigators believe the gang put the fake bills — which were cut by hand using a utility knife and a school ruler — into circulation in local flea markets.
Also present in the home where the monkey was taken into custody were two altars and various objects related to Santa Muerte — a folk saint who represents death and is often associated with Mexico’s criminal subculture.
The operation took place in several neighborhoods of Gustavo A. Madero and included the execution of 10 search warrants. The residential area is known as the home of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, El Tepeyac National Park and the huge Tianguis San Felipe market every Sunday. The market is said to be the largest in Latin America.
With reports Infobae, Reforma and López-Dóriga Digital
