Mexican Navy Sets Record With Six-Boat, Eight-Tonne Drug Bust
Last week, the Mexican Navy made its largest drug bust ever in a complex multi-vessel sting operation off the coast of Michoacan and Guerrero.
On Friday, a Mexican Navy patrol boat and helicopter spotted a go-fast boat with three outboard motors and eight people on board. When the suspects found out that they were being followed, they tossed marked packages over the side of their boat. They were apprehended, and 94 packages and 38 drums of fuel were recovered. The haul totaled 2.1 tonnes of unspecified drugs.
Shortly after, Mexican Navy units caught a second vessel with three outboards and three crewmembers on board. 1,100 kilos of drugs were recovered from the water, along with 125 drums containing nearly 1,600 gallons of fuel, suggesting plans for a long voyage.
A third vessel was seized off Guerrero, carrying 40 packages of drugs totaling about 1,200 kilos. The fourth vessel was a 15 meter semi-submersible loaded with 2.2 tonnes of drugs. Mexican Navy commandos boarded the semi-sub by helicopter while the boat was under way at full speed - a riskier boarding method demonstrating "absolute mastery of boarding techniques in extreme conditions," the service said.
Courtesy SEMAR
The fifth and sixth vessels were smaller, and the Mexican Navy apprehended six crewmembers and 1,800 kilos of drugs between the two boats.
The total tally came to a record-setting six boats, 23 suspects, 8.3 tonnes of drugs and 2,300 gallons of fuel.
The neighboring states of Michoacan and Guerrero are a hub for the transshipment of drugs arriving from South America. The region is controlled by multiple feuding gangs, according to Insight Crime, including the prominent Jalisco Cartel New Generation (CJNG) and a variety of smaller, lesser-known local groups.