Mexican authorities seized more than seven tons of suspected cocaine in two separate raids in the Pacific Ocean, the country’s navy said, and dramatic video captured the high-speed chases on the open sea.
In the first operation, footage from a Panther helicopter provided by the navy showed a boat chase southwest of the city of Manzanillo. Naval officers aboard a patrol vessel intercepted three speedboats, the navy said in a Friday news release. Authorities seized 126 packages containing 5.6 tons of suspected cocaine, marking the largest drug seizure of the current administration. The navy said 15 suspects were arrested and over 1,000 liters of fuel was confiscated.
In a second operation, naval patrol boats and a helicopter retrieved 32 packages floating in the water, which contained suspected cocaine weighing about 1.6 tons. A small speedboat with three outboard motors was also confiscated. That raid was carried out near the coastal city of Lazaro Cardenas in the Michoacan state, a region plagued by cartel violence.
The navy released several images after the raids on social media, showing dozens of wrapped packages laid out on a patrol vessel next to officers and a helicopter.
Mexican Navy/Handout via REUTERS
Officials said Monday that an attack that left seven community police members dead in Michoacan over the weekend was related to battles by cartels vying for control of the coastal area, which is a key landing spot for cocaine shipments delivered by sea.
The cocaine seizures in the Pacific Ocean come about a year after a semi-submersible vessel — or so-called narco sub — carrying more than 7,000 pounds of suspected cocaine was intercepted off the coast of Mexico after a dramatic high-speed chase. At the time, the Mexican Navy posted a video on Facebook showing an aerial view of the semi-submersible being chased by ships and a helicopter before finally being intercepted.
Reuters Video
More than half of the cocaine found in the world is produced in Colombia.
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Stephen Smith
Stephen Smith is a managing editor for CBSNews.com based in New York. A Washington, D.C. native, Steve was previously an editorial producer for the Washington Post, and has also worked in Los Angeles, Boston and Tokyo.