Elements of the Secretary of the Navy (Semar), in coordination with federal authorities, seized 1,187 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a merchant ship that arrived at the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán.

The shipment was located during a routine inspection carried out on the WAN HAI A20 ship, where personnel from the Naval Port Protection Unit, supported by canine agents and risk analysis tasks, found 20 packages containing the drug.

According to the Security Cabinet, the seizure represents an economic impact of more than 14.7 million dollars for criminal organizations and prevented more than two million doses of cocaine from reaching the illegal market.

Investigation points to CJNG

The first lines of investigation indicate that the shipment would be linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal organization with a strong presence in Michoacán and that has used the port infrastructure of Lázaro Cárdenas for international drug trafficking.

Although up to now the federal authorities have not confirmed any arrests related to this seizure, the drugs remained at the disposal of the Federal Public Ministry, which will continue with the investigations to determine the origin, destination and those responsible for the shipment.

Strategic port for drug trafficking

The port of Lázaro Cárdenas is considered one of the main entry and exit points for goods in the country, which is why in recent years it has become a priority objective for the authorities due to attempts by criminal organizations to use maritime routes for trafficking drugs and chemical precursors.

This seizure joins other recent operations carried out by the Navy in the same port terminal, where shipments of cocaine hidden in containers and merchant vessels have been located.

The authorities indicated that they will maintain inspection operations in national ports as part of the strategy to combat drug trafficking and weaken the finances of organized crime groups.