La Paz, Baja California Sur — More than 3.5 tons of cocaine has been seized from a semi-submersible by the Mexican Navy. On Thursday, the Secretary of the Navy reported on the discovery of the semi-submersible and the arrest of five on board.
The watercraft was discovered June 27 in the Pacific during a routine patrol by the Navy. The sighting was followed up with Mexican Navy aircraft, for which reason Navy ships equipped with helicopters and interceptor patrols positioned themselves for the interdiction of the illegal vessel.
When Navy personnel boarded the vessel “in motion”, they located 186 packages of cocaine and five men from different nationalities. All five were transferred to La Paz, Baja California Sur.
The 26-meter-long semi-submersible vessel with two internal engines, an average speed of eight knots and an autonomy of 20 days, was the first of its kind to be secured in 2023.
“The vessel was the largest and most cargo capacity that has been insured in Mexico in the present administration, bringing with this event a total of 21,295 kilograms of cocaine seized at sea this year and 121 people arrested at sea carrying out illegal activities,” the agency reported.
