Federal Police in the Mexican coastal state of Nayarit seized eight tons of precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of methamphetamine after conducting a traffic stop for a seat belt violation.
The Sunday seizure took place on the Tepic-Mazatlán highway when federal police conducting patrols of the area observed a driver operating a cargo truck without a seat belt, according to an official release. The driver reportedly said he was merely transporting chemicals—but federal agents detected inconsistencies in the information and documents provided. The agents requested a more in-depth inspection of the cargo, which resulted in the discovery of more than eight tons of what tested to be precursor chemicals for methamphetamine within 40 drums.
This seizure of methamphetamine precursor chemicals comes on the heels of several record-breaking busts. Four of the most recent meth seizures occurred beginning on August 16 in Alcoyonqui, Sinaloa, where the Mexican Navy found 50 tons. The second occurred when the Army found approximately 2,700 pounds of drugs consisting of meth, heroin, and fentanyl on August 18 in Ensenada, Baja California. The third occurred on August 22, when the Mexican Navy seized 10 tons in Sinaloa. The fourth happened on August 28 when Mexican police discovered an active cartel drug lab in Tijuana. A lab raid resulted in the seizure of 350 pounds of methamphetamine, according to government security officials. All previous seizures reportedly involved the Sinaloa Cartel, also known as “Cártel del Pacífico.”
Law enforcement authorities have yet to determine which criminal group is responsible for the recent illicit cargo, but warring factions of the Sinaloa and Beltran Leyva Cartels, as well as El Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), are all active in Nayarit.
Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce has worked in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, working out of the Consulate for the United States Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, where he was the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas.) You can follow him on Twitter. He can be reached at robertrarce@gmail.com
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