Nuevo Israel, Q.R. — A plane loaded with drugs and weapons was surrounded by military police after it landed on a highway near the town of Nuevo Israel in the southern part of the state of Quintana Roo.
According to la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional, officials detected the illegal entry of the plane in Mexican airspace. The twin-engine aircraft quickly landed on a roadway known as the Chetumal-Mérida short track around 3:30 a.m. Elements of the Mexican Army rushed to the scene where they were met by two armed men guarding the aircraft where some of the plane’s cargo had already been unloaded into a van.
Upon police arrival, shots were fired upon military personnel, killing one and injuring three, all of whom were airlifted by helicopter to hospital. Emiliano Medina Ramírez, cavalry corporal, died.
In their report they said “The personnel of Generals, Chiefs, Officers and Troops that integrate the armed institute express our solidarity to the relatives of the element that unfortunately lost their life in fulfillment of their duty, contributing to the objective of achieving peace and security that the people yearn for in Mexico.”
State governor, Carlos Joaquin, also expressed his sympathies with the family of the victim.
La Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional said they were successful in detaining the two plane guards identified as G.G.C. and B.C.R., as well as its cargo, which consisted of nearly one ton of cocaine, three weapons, the aircraft and two vehicles. They noted that the plane arrived from South America.
