The Navy of Mexico announced a large-scale operation during which more than 8.3 tons of drugs were seized. The operation, which took place on October 19, is called “unprecedented in the history of naval operations” of the country. The total value of the seized drugs is estimated at more than 2.099 billion Mexican pesos, which is roughly equivalent to 105 million US dollars. writes DW.
The drugs were seized near the port of Lazaro Cardenas on the west coast of Mexico, in the Pacific Ocean. According to AFP, the contraband was transported on six small vessels, one of which was a submarine, which made the process of interception difficult.
During the operation, 23 people were detained, and approximately 8,700 liters of fuel were seized, which the perpetrators intended to sell to drug cartels. The type of drugs that were confiscated is not specified.
The war on drug trafficking in Mexico
Mexico has been a key transit country for drug trafficking to the United States for decades, with numerous cartels known for their brutality fighting for control of the drug trade.
More than 450,000 people have died in drug-related violence and tens of thousands more have gone missing since 2006, when the country’s government deployed military forces to fight drug trafficking. The largest drug seizure in the country’s history occurred in 2007, when Mexican authorities confiscated 23 tons of Colombian cocaine.
