35 metric tons of suspected drug-production chemical seized in Sinaloa
Original reporting: Sinaloa en Línea
What happened
Sinaloa en Línea reported three arrests after Federal Protection Service officers intercepted a refrigerated truck carrying 35 metric tons of a chemical, preliminarily described as possible lead acetate.
Reporting and context
Federal authorities seized 35 metric tons of a chemical suspected of use in methamphetamine production on the toll-free Mazatlán–Culiacán highway and detained three people, Sinaloa en Línea reported. Preliminary information identified the material as possible lead acetate; its identity and potential use remained subject to determination by the relevant authorities.
According to Sinaloa en Línea, Security and Citizen Protection Secretary Omar García Harfuch said Federal Protection Service personnel made the seizure as part of Operation Mazatlán. The interception took place at kilometer 33.450 on the road toward the port.
The granular material was being carried in a Freightliner tractor-trailer with a refrigerated cargo box. The outlet reported that it was packed in 25-kilogram sacks across 18 pallets: 16 carrying two metric tons each and two carrying one and a half metric tons each. Those quantities account for the reported 35-ton load.
García Harfuch described the operation as part of reinforced security efforts in Mazatlán, Culiacán and the rest of Sinaloa aimed at combating drug production and weakening criminal groups. The report did not identify the three detainees or attribute the shipment to a specific group.
Original publication: Sinaloa en Línea.