Navy recovers suspected cocaine off Michoacan

Reporting and context

Mexico's Navy recovered 54 packages containing more than 1.6 metric tons of suspected cocaine during a maritime surveillance operation in the Pacific Ocean off Michoacan, UDGTV reported, citing federal authorities. The Navy said an aerial patrol spotted the packages floating about 178 nautical miles southwest of the port of Lazaro Cardenas.

Naval units from the Eighth Naval Region and the Sixteenth Naval Zone recovered the packages after the sighting, according to the report. Authorities transferred the material to the Sixteenth Naval Zone in Lazaro Cardenas for chemical procedures. The cargo was then placed at the disposal of the Attorney General's Office, which the report said would investigate and establish the final weight.

Federal authorities estimated that the seizure could represent an approximately $20 million financial loss for organized crime and prevent distribution of about 3.2 million doses, UDGTV reported. The reported substance remains described as suspected cocaine pending the authorities' chemical examination.