Mexico & El Salvador Seize 10+ Tons of Cocaine Amid US Drug Boat Strikes
Mexico and El Salvador seized more than 10 metric tons of cocaine this week, a surge in drug interdictions occurring alongside continued lethal U.S. Military strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the region. The seizures, announced Thursday and Sunday, represent a significant disruption to cocaine trafficking routes, though they have unfolded against a backdrop of escalating tensions over the U.S. Approach to counter-narcotics operations.
Mexican Navy personnel intercepted a semi-submersible vessel approximately 250 nautical miles south of the port of Manzanillo, in the state of Colima, according to a statement from Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch posted on X. The vessel contained nearly four tons of cocaine, and three individuals were detained. Harfuch stated the seizure, combined with other interdictions this week, brought the total cocaine seized to nearly 10 tons. He added that the operation was conducted with intelligence shared by U.S. Northern Command and the U.S. Joint Interagency Task Force South.
“This represents a direct and multimillion-dollar blow to the financial structures of organized crime, by preventing millions of doses from reaching the streets and protecting the safety of Mexican families,” García Harfuch wrote on X, accompanied by images of the intercepted vessel and confiscated drugs.
El Salvador’s navy announced Sunday the largest drug seizure in the country’s history: 6.6 tons of cocaine. The cocaine was discovered aboard a 180-foot vessel registered to Tanzania, intercepted 380 miles southwest of the El Salvadorian coast. Ten individuals – citizens of Colombia, Nicaragua, Panama, and Ecuador – were arrested. Authorities displayed the seized cocaine, packaged in over 330 bundles, at a press conference Thursday in Puerto la Union.
The seizures come as the U.S. Government continues a policy of direct military intervention against suspected drug traffickers. At least 145 people have been killed in U.S. Strikes since September, when the administration began targeting those it designates as “narcoterrorists.” This week’s strikes involved three boats – two in the eastern Pacific Ocean carrying four people each, and one in the Caribbean Sea carrying three – all of which were destroyed. The U.S. Government has not provided evidence that the vessels were carrying drugs, releasing only images of their destruction.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has publicly disagreed with the U.S. Military strikes, despite pressure from the U.S. Administration for more aggressive drug-fighting efforts. Sheinbaum’s administration has, however, taken a more assertive stance against drug cartels domestically, sending dozens of suspected drug traffickers to the United States for prosecution, including 37 individuals last month.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Coast Guard seized over 2,000 pounds of cocaine after attempting to intercept a boat off the coast of Puerto Rico. According to the Coast Guard, the crew of the suspected drug-smuggling vessel engaged in evasive maneuvers and discarded their cargo before fleeing the scene.