Navy seizes more than a tonne of cocaine off the coasts of Chiapas and Oaxaca

The Navy seized more than a tonne of suspected cocaine in two separate operations off Mexico’s southwestern coast.

Security Minister Omar García Harfuch on Thursday confirmed on social media that the actions occurred off the coasts of Chiapas and Oaxaca, adding that one person was arrested.

According to an official statement, the operations took place during maritime patrol and surveillance in the Pacific Ocean. 

In the first operation, naval personnel seized 16 packages containing approximately 629 kilograms of “a substance with characteristics similar to cocaine,” while in a second operation they located another 16 packages with around 520 kilograms.

The Navy reported that the weight of 1,149 kilograms includes the packaging and the actual weight of the narcotics will be confirmed by prosecutors.

The statement said that the economic impact for criminal groups is an estimated 273 million pesos (US $14.5 million). “Each seized shipment is a direct blow to the finances of organized crime: reducing their resources to buy weapons, corrupt and generate violence, and fewer drugs on the streets to poison our youth,” García Harfuch said.

Despite the volume of drugs confiscated, authorities reported the arrest of only one person.  “The detainee was informed of his rights and placed at the disposal of the Federal Attorney General’s Office,” the statement said.

The latest operation is part of a series of actions carried out in recent months in the Pacific maritime corridor, specifically off the coasts of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero and Michoacán. Before it, more than 97 tonnes of cocaine had been seized at sea since Claudia Sheinbaum became president in October 2024.

In October, more than 1.2 tonnes of cocaine were seized and six crew members detained in international waters 366 nautical miles south of Huatulco, Oaxaca, in a joint operation with the U.S. Coast Guard.

In August, more than 4 tonnes of cocaine were seized and 13 people arrested during several Pacific operations off Oaxaca and Chiapas.

The ongoing operations are part of permanent maritime and aerial surveillance actions against international drug trafficking, one of the main issues of cooperation and tension in security matters with the United States.

With reports from Proceso, El Financiero and Aristegui Noticias