1,600 Kilos Cocaine Seized In Mexico City, Largest In City History

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

On the afternoon of July 26, a record 1.6 tons of cocaine were seized by Mexico City authorities in the Gustavo Madero neighborhood of Mexico City. The cocaine was wrapped in 1,680 packets hidden inside secret compartments of two large truck trailers. Omar García Harfuch, the Secretary of Citizen Security, reported that this is the largest cocaine bust in Mexico City history.

The bust occurred on the Circuito Exterior Mexiquense highway, at the height of avenida Río de los Remedios, in the neighborhood of Gustavo A. Madero, near the border with Mexico state. Four men and three vehicles were seized, two tractor trailer trucks with hidden compartments for cocaine, and a third which acted as an escort.

Harfuch revealed that the cocaine came from Colombia, and entered Mexico through Puerto Escondido, a coastal city in Oaxaca, southern Mexico. According to the SSC press release, some of the load was intended to be distributed in the Tepito neighborhood of Mexico City, while the rest was to be smuggled into the Western United States. In a radio interview with MVS Noticias, Harfuch later clarified that the "vast majority" was to be smuggled into Los Angeles.

According to Harfuch, the cocaine has a value of around $400 million pesos (20 million USD) in Mexico City, a value of $12,500 USD per kilo.

Four men from the state of Durango were detained in the operation. It is unknown which criminal group or groups coordinated this drug shipment.

Criminal group operations in Mexico City have been gaining widespread coverage recently, generating alarm that the relatively safe region is changing. On July 13, a cell affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel was dismantled in Topilejo, revealing the inroads large criminal groups have been making into the area. 

Earlier this month, Harfuch acknowledged the advance of criminal groups into Mexico City, but stated that they: "are not looking to control the area, they aren't established as a criminal structure. They are looking for safe houses, storage places, houses where they can remain unnoticed".

Mexico City has long been regarded as a "trampoline for drugs", a rest stop for drugs in transit to other markets. The city's placement in central Mexico as well as the Mexico City International Airport make it a crucial drug smuggling epicenter. 

One case which exemplified this was the 2021 capture of Gilberto Perez Camacho, "El Mex", an alleged officer of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico City who coordinated flights of drugs from South America into Mexico City, as reported by Borderland Beat.

Update 7/28/22:

The Attorney Generals Office of Mexico City has reported that the detained have been transferred to the Reclusorio Preventivo Varonil Norte prison in the north of Mexico City. 

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Sources: SSC Press Release, @OHarfuch Twitter, Milenio, El Pais, El Universal, MVS Noticias Harfuch Interview