Mica for cartelinsider.com
Elements of the Mexican Navy (Semar) seized 78 packages of cocaine from a small boat at sea. The ship was also seized, along with five people. Some confiscated packages were labeled with CR7, Amazon, and Kia, among others.
On Monday, May 20th, the Navy reported the seizure of over 1,800 kilograms of cocaine and/or other substances. The boat, along with individuals whose names are unknown and the drugs, were found just over 100 kilometers (65 nautical miles) northeast of the port of Mazatlán, Sinaloa.
The agency did not specify the date on which the seizure was carried out because they only mentioned that it was “in recent days” after a routine inspection. In the images shared by the authorities, it can be seen that some of the packages that were seized had markings such as Amazon, CR7, and KIA. The shipments with these last two also bear the image of a clover.
The security agents were conducting patrols in the Barras de Piaxtla area in the San Ignacio municipality; an aircraft and a ship were involved in these operations. Following a search, individuals were apprehended, and the contraband was confiscated.
In the image Semar shared, there are eight packages with the Amazon brand, three with the KIA brand, and seven with the letters and numbers commonly associated with the Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. Most of the packages are white, but there are also two blue ones.
“Naval personnel proceeded to secure the smaller vessel, the illicit cargo, and the apprehension of five alleged lawbreakers; thus, the said material and individuals were turned over to the competent ministerial authority for the preparation of the corresponding investigation file,” the Navy highlighted in a statement.
The operations were conducted by personnel from the Eighth Naval Region in coordination with the Naval Sector of Islas Marías. The criminal organization responsible for the drug shipments remains unknown.
Criminal groups have been using different brands or symbols on their drug shipments, even though the companies or individuals represented have no connection to drug trafficking. For instance, labeled bricks of cocaine with “Gucci,” “Tesla,” and “Prada” markings have been seized on some occasions.
The Sinaloa Cartel is a criminal organization that uses brands to differentiate the level of purity or even the destination of drugs. In 2021, journalist Humberto Padgett presented an investigation on Ciro Gómez Leyva’s news program, in which he identified the Pacific Cartel as the group that usually marks its merchandise.
In April 2021, authorities in New York seized packages of cocaine labeled as CR7. During the seizure, 50 kilograms of the substance were confiscated, and two individuals were arrested while carrying $200,000 in cash and a firearm.
The special narcotics prosecutor for New York, Bridget G. Brennan, stated that the 50 kilograms of cocaine were worth approximately 2 million dollars. This equates to $40,000 per kilogram, which is a fair evaluation for a single brick. However, the prosecutor’s figure may not hold true when considering purity and wholesale buyers.
In November 2020, 340 drug packages were seized in Nicaragua, most of which were branded with the name of the Portuguese football player.
Thanks for reading!
Mica
Email: mica@cartelinsider.com
Follow: https://twitter.com/cartelinsider1
Discover more from Cartel Insider
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
