Mexico, El Salvador make big drug seizures at sea
The navies of El Salvador and Mexico announced drug seizures in the Pacific Ocean this week of more than 10 tons of cocaine, in contrast to deadly strikes by the US government that just this week left 11 people dead on three boats suspected of carrying drugs in Latin American waters.
The latest announcement came Thursday, when Mexico said it had seized nearly four tons of suspected drugs and detained three people from a semisubmersible craft, 463 kilometers (250 nautical miles) south of the port of Manzanillo.
On Sunday, El Salvador’s navy announced the largest drug seizure in the country’s history of 6.6 tons of cocaine. The navy had intercepted a 55-meter (180-foot) boat registered to Tanzania, 611 kilometers (380 miles) southwest of the coast.
Navy divers found 330 packages of cocaine hidden in the boat’s ballast tanks.
Ten men were arrested from Colombia, Nicaragua, Panama, and Ecuador.
On Thursday, Salvadoran authorities gave access to the seized ship FMS Eagle, which had just arrived in the port of La Union.
More than 200 wrapped bundles were lined up on the deck.
