Cocaine Worth $20 Million Seized in Mexico City's Biggest Drug Bust; Ties to Mexican Drug Cartel Investigated

Police in Mexico City made a historic drug bust on Tuesday as they seized $20 million worth of cocaine, officials said.

According to Borderland Beat, police stopped two freight trucks carrying around 1.6 tons of cocaine on the Circuito Exterior Mexiquense highway in the Gustavo Madero neighborhood of Mexico City.

The cocaine was reportedly wrapped in 1,680 packets that were hidden inside secret compartments of the two large trucks.

City police chief Omar Garcia Harfuch said the cocaine has a value of $12,500 per kilo on the street in Mexico. Harfuch noted that this was the largest cocaine bust in Mexico City history, Associated Press reported.

Harfuch said the cocaine came from Colombia and entered Mexico through Oaxaca's coastal city, Puerto Escondido. The police chief noted that some of the drugs were intended to be brought to the Tepito neighborhood of Mexico City while the rest were heading to the U.S. West Coast.

Harfuch said a third vehicle was escorting the two trucks, and four men from the Mexico's state of Durango were arrested. Authorities said it is still unknown which Mexican drug cartel or criminal group coordinated this drug shipment, but it is now being investigated.

Mexico City Police Arrested Sinaloa Cartel Members, Seized Firearms and Drugs

Mexico City officials have long acknowledged that Mexican drug cartels use the city as a shipping point. However, Harfuch claimed the cartels do not operate in the capital as dauntlessly as they do in other parts of Mexico since they were not looking to control the city.

Two weeks ago, 14 men from a cell affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel were arrested by the police in Mexico City. They were arrested after a gun battle with police and armed civilians.

Four officers were reportedly wounded in the shootout that occurred on the Mexico City-Cuernavaca highway in Tlalpan municipality. Videos showed that authorities responded in force with armored vehicles and helicopters.

After the confrontation, authorities seized 13 firearms, 12 grenades, bulletproof vests, drugs, and other weapons paraphernalia. Two "victims" had also been freed.

Mexican Drug Cartels in Mexico City

The presence of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco cartel has been reported in Mexico City. The Jalisco cartel or the Jalisco Cartel New Generation is currently the Sinaloa Cartel's main rival.

The Jalisco cartel is being led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known by his alias "El Mencho." On the other hand, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera's four sons, known as "Los Chapitos," were reportedly left in command of the Sinaloa Cartel after El Chapo was arrested and extradited to the U.S.

The Jalisco cartel came out from the Sinaloa Cartel in 2010 after the death of former Sinaloa Cartel capo Ignacio Coronel, known as "Nacho," who was killed by Mexican security forces. Nacho's death resulted in the split into two factions - "La Resistencia" and "Torcidos" - of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The "Torcidos" became what is now the Jalisco cartel, which has since expanded rapidly in Mexico. The Jalisco cartel is involved in many criminal activities, including international drug trafficking.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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