US And Mexico Seize Massive Cocaine Payload In Rare Joint Drug Bust

U.S. and Mexican authorities carried out a rare joint operation in the Pacific Ocean, intercepting a vessel carrying several tons of cocaine, according to Mexican officials.

The bust occurred near Clarion Island, roughly 680 miles from the Mexican port city of Manzanillo. Mexican authorities said about 188 packages of cocaine were recovered and some suspects were arrested during the operation, which involved both the U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican naval forces.

Photographs and video footage released by the Mexican military showed bundles laid out on the deck of a ship before being brought ashore.

“This seizure resulted from the exchange of information with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Joint Interagency Task Force South, and reaffirms bilateral cooperation to combat drug trafficking within a framework of coordination and full respect for national sovereignty,” the Security Cabinet of the Government of Mexico said in a statement.

The Coast Guard did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

The drug bust unfolded just hours after a highly unusual temporary U.S. airspace closure in El Paso, Texas, which the Trump administration attributed to the incursion of Mexican cartel drones in U.S. airspace. Several outlets later reported that the shutdown was in fact due to a disagreement between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over military laser testing.

The operation is part of the Trump administration’s broader push against Mexican cartels, which officials have identified as a serious threat to national security.

At least 121 people have been killed in U.S. strikes on suspected drug vessels under Operation Southern Spear, the administration’s campaign aimed at curtailing narcotics trafficking, according to CNN. Since August, U.S. authorities operating off the coast of Mexico have intercepted roughly 200,000 pounds of cocaine.

Mexico’s Senate on Wednesday approved the entry of 19 Navy SEALs for a two-month training mission in Mexico beginning Feb. 15, the Financial Times reported.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the administration plans to launch “very hard” land strikes in Latin America to further disrupt cartel networks. He noted that the administration’s efforts have already reduced drug flows by roughly one-third.