Mexico calls recent cocaine seizure biggest in nation's history

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Mexican authorities said Thursday they had seized 23.6 metric tons (26 tons) of cocaine from a ship in the port city of Manzanillo in one of the biggest drug busts on record. Police and marines discovered the drugs Tuesday in a cargo container aboard the Hong Kong-flagged ship Esmeralda, which sailed from Buenaventura, Colombia, the federal attorney general's office said. Authorities initially said they had found at least 11 metric tons (12 tons) of cocaine on the ship. But on Thursday, the navy, the attorney general's office and Public Safety and Defense departments released a statement saying a second stash of cocaine had been discovered amid the ship's cargo, bringing the total seizure to 23.6 metric tons (26 tons). The statement said the cocaine was found in more than 21,000 packages and that authorities were still searching for more drugs.