26 tons of cocaine seized

2007-11-02 12:06

Mexico City - Mexican authorities said on Thursday they had seized 23.6 metric tons (26 tons) of cocaine from a ship in the port city of Manzanillo in one of the biggest drug busts on record.

Police and marines discovered the drugs on Tuesday in a cargo container aboard the Hong Kong-flagged ship Esmeralda, which sailed from Buenaventura, Colombia, the federal attorney general's office said.

Authorities initially said they had found at least 11 metric tons (12 tons) of cocaine on the ship.

But on Thursday, the navy, the attorney general's office and Public Safety and Defence departments released a statement saying a second stash of cocaine had been discovered amid the ship's cargo, bringing the total seizure to 23.6 metric tons (26 tons).

The statement said the cocaine was found in more than 21 000 packages and that authorities were still searching for more drugs.

Mexico's government called it the largest cocaine seizure in the country's history. On October 5, authorities seized 10 metric tons of cocaine in the northern Mexican city of Tampico.

But Tuesday's seizure also appeared to be one of the biggest anywhere.

In March, the US Coast Guard seized more than 20 tons of cocaine, worth nearly $300m, off Panama's Pacific coast. DEA spokesperson Garrison Courtney on Thursday described the Panama bust as the largest known drug seizure.

US Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza said the Manzanillo seizure was a sign of Mexican President Felipe Calderon's "commitment to cripple drug lords and bring them to justice".

Garza said on Thursday that it also underscores the urgency of approving funds for the Merida Initiative, a US proposal to give Mexico $1.4bn to fight narcotics-related crime.

The US Congress has yet to approve President George W Bush's request for an initial instalment of $500m for the plan, which would provide training and equipment to Mexican forces.

- AP