July 15th Badanov's Buzzkill Bulletin

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

Mexican Army and naval personnel since July 7th have seized 11,182.1 kilograms of marijuana, 335 kilograms of unprocessed marijuana, 94 kilograms of marijuana seeds, 21.02 kilograms of cocaine, 1.95 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, 14 liters of liquid methamphetamine, five kilograms of poppy seeds, 1 kilogram of opium gum and MX $620,570.00 (USD $46,681.51) in cash.

• An army unit with the Mexican 29th Military Zone detained two unidentified individuals and rescued one who had reportedly been kidnapping July 7th in Verzcruz state.  The operation took place in Frutos de la Revolucion colony in Coatzacoalcos municipality where the unit had been dispatched on an anonymous report of criminal activity in the area.  Soldiers also seized three rifles, 178 rounds of ammunition, seven weapons magazine and one vehicle.
• A Mexican Army unit with the 43rd Military Zone July 8th while on patrol located contraband in Florida colony in Apatzingan municipality in Michoacan state.  The haul included three handguns, 19 weapons magazines, 2,905 rounds of ammunition and one vehicle.
• A separate army unit with the Mexican 43rd Military Zone while on patrol in Parotilla colony in Lazaro Cardena municipality July 8th rescued three unidentified individuals who had been kidnapped.  Soldiers also seized six rifles, one hand grenade, 34 weapons magazines, 680 rounds of ammunition and one truck.
• A Mexican Army unit with the 26 Military Zone killed one armed suspect in Veracruz state July 8th.  The unit had been on patrol in Manlio Fabio Altamirano municipality when it came under small arms fire by an unknown number of armed suspects.  Army return fire killed one.  Soldiers also seized two rifles, one handgun, weapons magazine and ammunition and one vehicle in the aftermath.
• On July 8th, a Mexican Army unit with the 34th Military Zone seized 100 kilograms of marijuana in Quintana Roo state.  The unit was on patrol near the village of Sergio Butron Casas in Orthon P. Blanco municipality when it found the drugs wrapped in 10 packages.
• An army unit with the Mexican 8th Military Zone in Ciudad Miguel Aleman, Tamaulipas located abandoned drugs July 6th.  The unit was on patrol when the discovery was made.  The total found was 180.1 kilograms of marijuana in 20 packages.
• On July 7th an army unit with the Mexican 8th Military Zone found drugs near a village located near Rio Bravo in Tamaulipas state.  The unit was on patrol near ejido La Brigada in Matamoros municipality when the 126 kilograms of marijuana in 144 packages was found in the bush.
• Also on July 7th an army unit with the 8th Military Zone located drugs in Nuevo Laredo municipality in Tamaulipas.  The unit was on patrol near ejido Miguel Aleman when 41 packages of marijuana totalling 549 kilograms were found .
• Also on July 7th a Mexican Amy unit with the 8th Military Zone located an abandoned fuel tanker containing 20,000 liters of gasoline.  The fuel was found near ejido El Realito in Valle Hermoso municipality in Tamaulipas state.
• Mexican Army personnel seized a quantity of cocaine at a military Checkpoint in Chihuahua state July 9th.  The checkpoint was established near Samalayuca municipality where soldiers stopped and searched a passenger bus finding 18 kilograms of cocaine in 15 packages. The unidentified bus driver was detained at the scene.
• An army unit with the Mexican 13th Military Zone located drugs in Nayarit state July 9th.  The unit was on patrol near the village of Los Aguajes in Jala municipality when it found 400 kilograms of marijuana, 26 kilograms of marijuana seeds, one rifle, one weapons magazine and 25 rounds of ammunition.
• Three armed suspects died in an exchange of gunfire with Mexican Army personnel from the 19th Military Zone in Veracruz state July 9th.  The army unit was on patrol near Panuco municipality when it came under small arms fire from an unknown number of armed suspects.  Army return fire killed three.  A total of five unidentified individuals who were being  held for ransom were rescued.  Soldiers also seized three rifles, three weapons magazines and ammunition.
• A Mexican Army unit with the 2nd Military Zone detained four unidentified individuals and seized a quantity of liquid methamphetamine July 11th in Tijuana municipality in Baja California state.  Soldiers searched the baggage claim area at Abelardo L. Rodriguez International airport when it found 14 liters of liquid methamphetamine in eight 1.75 liter containers, which had been labelled tequila bottles.
• An army unit with the 9th Military Zone located an abandoned vehicle and a number of drugs and guns July 12 in Sinaloa state.  The find was made while the unit was on patrol near the village of Arroyo el Tecomate in Morocito municpality where soldiers found .300 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, 3.02 kilograms of cocaine. four rifles, one handgun, 24 weapons magazines, 472 rounds of ammunition, one ATV, 93 ammunition belt links (presumably for 5.56mm), tactical gear and the truck.
• Army personnel with the Mexican 9th Military Zone seized a number of drug and guns in Sinaloa state July 10th.  The unit was on patrol near the village of San Javier de Abajo in  Badiraguato municipality when it located an abandoned truck containing the contraband.  Material seized included 43 kilograms of marijuana seeds, one kilogram of opium gum, one rifle, one handgun, one weapons magazine and 43 rounds of ammunition. 
• A Mexican Army unit with the 2nd Military Zone detained one unidentified individual who was in possession of drugs in Mexicali municipality in Baja California state July 11th.  The army unit was on patrol in Maestros Estatales colony in Mexicali when the detention took place.  The detainee allegedly had .45 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine on his person.
• Army personnel with the 2nd Military Zone located more than 40 metric tons of marijuana in Tijuana municipality in Baja California July 12th. The find was made at a warehouse on Granjas Familiares colony in Centenario Delegation where four tractor trailer rigs were found with the drugs inside.  Four unidentified individuals were also detained at the scene.
• A Mexican Army unit with the 45 Military Zone seized quantities of drugs and guns in northern Sonora state July 11th.  The unit had been dispatched to a building in Altar municipality based on an anonymous complaint of armed individuals in the area.  Soldiers seized 10 rifles, one  handgun, 2,681 rounds of ammunition, 36 weapons magazines, 10 kilograms of marijuana in seven packages, other equipment and one vehicle.
• Army personnel at the airport in Culican, Sinaloa found drugs in luggage from a flight from Distrito Federeal July 13th.  Soldiers found a DVD player which had four  packages of crystal methamphetamine hidden inside totalling 1.2 kilograms.
• A counternarcotics sweep in Tepehuanes municipality in Durango state by Mexican Army personnel with the 10th Military Zone seized quantities of drug and guns, and secured the release of four unidentified individual who were being held for ransom.  The operation took place between 10th and 13th of July where soldiers seized 29 rifles, 25 handguns, 29 weapons magazines, 232 rounds of ammunition, one marijuana plantation with an area of ​​400 square meters. 335 kilograms of unprocessed marijuana, 25 kilograms of marijuana seeds, five kilograms of poppy seeds , 1.4 kilograms of an unidentified chemical, one ATV and three vehicles, which were painted in a camoflage scheme similar to the one Mexican Armed forces use.
• Mexican military personnel with the 29th Military Zone  in Veracruz seized a large amount of cash July 12th.  The road unit performed a traffic stop of three individuals acting suspiciously in Santa Clara colony in Minatitlan municipality.  Aboard the vehicle soldiers found MX $620,570.00 (USD $46,681.51) in cash, one rifle, weapons magazines and ammunition, 21 doses of marijuana, one cell phone and the vehicle.  The three individuals aboard the vehicle were detained at the scene.
• An army unit with the 45th Military Zone seized a large quantity of marijuana and detained one individual in San Luis Rio Colorado in Sonora state July 14.  Military personnel were conducting a military checkpoint when a tractor trailer rig was stopped for inspection.  Aboard soldiers found 2,100 kilograms of marijuana wrapped in 330 packages.  The driver of the truck was detained at the scene.
• Mexican Naval Infantry personnel on July 6th seized quantities of drugs and weapons in Veracruz state.  The unit observed nine individuals aboard three vehicles travelling near the village of Agua de Oro in Apatlahuac about 25 kilometers northwest of Orizaba and performed a traffic stop.  Weapons including four AR-15 rifles, five AK-47 rifles, 35 weapons magazines 1,050 rounds of ammunition were found and small packages of marijuana and communications gear were seized.  The report also said the seven were kidnapping suspects.
• In a second incident Mexican naval personnel stopped five unidentified suspects who were travelling aboard two vehicle travelling along the Acapulco-Pinotepa highway Aboard the vehicles marines found quantities of marijuana and crack cocaine wrapped for retail sale as well as one AR-15 rifles and one AK-47 rifle.
• A joint ground and seaborne counternarctoics operation off the coast of Sonora state yielded a seizure of nearly 3.8 metric tons of marijuana.  According to the news release, a Mexican Navy maritime patrol helicopter spotted two boats hidden in trees off the coast of Isla Huivulai in the Sea of Cortez about 45 kilometers south of Ciudad Obregon July 10th.  Three boats and another aircraft were dispatched along with naval infantry personnel to the location where marines found the two boats with 3,843 kilograms of marijuana in 355 packages.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com

Categories: arrests