4 tons of cocaine seized from “narco sub” in Mexico as El Salvador seizes drugs at sea
The navies of Mexico and El Salvador announced a major drug seizure in the Pacific Ocean this week of more than 10 tons of cocaine, unlike the deadly US government strikes that remain this week. 11 people died on three boats suspected of carrying drugs in Latin American waters.
The latest announcement came on Thursday, when Mexico said it seized nearly four tons of drugs suspected of arresting three people on a submarine, or so-called “narco sub,” 250 nautical miles south of the port of Manzanillo.
Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said via X that the seizure of a soft, slow-moving boat with three visible motors brought the weekly total to about 10 tons, but did not provide details on other catches.
Mexican authorities said the abduction was based on intelligence shared by the US Northern Command and the US Joint Interagency Task Force South.
Officials released a video of the seizure, showing the navy intercepting the narco sub and photos of the seized drugs.
“This represents a direct contribution with millions of dollars to the financial structures of organized crime, by preventing millions of doses from reaching the streets and protecting the safety of Mexican families,” wrote García Harfuch in X.
On Sunday, El Salvador’s navy announced the largest drug seizure in the country’s history of 6.6 tons of cocaine. The navy seized a 180-meter boat registered in Tanzania, 380 kilometers southwest of the coast. Divers found 330 packages of cocaine hidden in the tanks of the boat. Ten men from Colombia, Nicaragua, Panama and Ecuador were arrested.
On Thursday, Salvadoran authorities offered to recover the seized ship FMS Eagle, which had just arrived at the port of La Union. Pictures released by the navy showed more than 200 wrapped bundles lined up on deck.
The Trump administration pressured Mexico to seize more drugs last year. The trafficking of drugs such as fentanyl was the president’s reason for imposing tariffs on Mexican imports.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded by saying aggressive situation about drug cartels than his predecessor, including sending dozens of drug-trafficking prisoners to the United States for prosecution, including 37 people last month.
Sheinbaum also expressed his disapproval of US military strikes in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean against boats suspected of carrying drugs.
At least 145 people have been killed in those strikes since the US government began targeting what it calls “narcoterrorists” last September.
The US strikes this week included two ships carrying four people each in the eastern Pacific Ocean and another boat in the Caribbean carrying three people. Authorities provided photos of boats being destroyed, but no evidence that they were carrying drugs.
Earlier this week, the US Coast Guard took over 2,000 kilograms of cocaine while trying to intercept a drug-smuggling boat in Puerto Rico. The crew of the boat suspected of carrying drugs “started rowing” before throwing their cargo overboard and fleeing, the Coast Guard said.
