Drugs haul heavier than an elephant seized by Mexican navy
A drugs haul weighing more than an elephant has been seized in the Mexican navy’s biggest ever drugs bust.
The operation saw 23 people arrested off the country’s southwest coast and comes as Mexico has been under pressure from the US to do more to fight drug smuggling.
“This represents the largest quantity of drugs seized in a maritime operation, without precedent in the history of the institution,” the navy said in a statement.
Six boats and 8,700 litres of fuel were also seized elsewhere in an elaborate series of raids. The drugs haul weighed some 8,400kg – an elephant can weigh up to 6,000kg on average, according to the WWF.
Among them was a semi-submersible craft designed to evade detection. Navy personnel tracked the sub from above before landing on it from a helicopter in a high-risk manoeuvre.
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“The 23 detainees, who were read their rights, as well as the six boats, the presumed drugs and the fuel, were handed over to the competent authorities for integration into the corresponding investigation,” the navy spokesperson said.
The seized assets are believed to be worth at least $100m (£76.6m).
It comes as the US has been pushing Mexico to step up its efforts to tackle drug trafficking, while Mexico has pressured Washington to do more to prevent the flow of guns to criminal groups across the border.
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