Customs seizes
38 tons of precursor chemicals in Manzanillo
According to
the federal government,
joint actions between
the Tax Administration Service (SAT), the Secretary of the Navy of Mexico
and the Attorney General's Office (PGR) seized approximately 38 tons of
precursor chemicals, which arrived at the port of Manzanillo on a ship
from Shanghai, China.
The boat was carrying two ISOtanks, whose contents, according to
the import permit was Benzyl Salicylate. However, after performing
laboratory tests the contents were identified as Ethyl Phenylacetate, a
chemical precursor used in the process of making methamphetamine (crystal
meth).
Each of the tanks, which were destined for Mexico City, contained about
19,000 kilos of the substance.
NOTE: An ISO Tank is a term used to describe a steel
"pill shaped" container within a standard ISO (International Standards
Organization) frame. 20' x 8' x 8'6" is the most standard size found
within the US. This tank container is used to haul up to 6,600 gal or
25,000L of bulk liquid. The products can range from food-grade products
such as orange juice or wine to hazardous chemicals such as hydrochloric
acid.
In addition
to the amount above, more than 590 tons of precursor chemicals have been
seized by Mexico's customs in the Calderon administration, roughly half
of it arriving in the port of Manzanillo.
Such seizures are achieved through the strengthening of security
measures in the country's customs, and through better trained customs
agents, who have been taught how to
recognize and identify different types of drugs and their precursor
chemicals.
In 2007 more than 23.5 tons of cocaine were seized in
the port of Manzanillo, and in 2008 close to $22.4 million in cash were
intercepted from trade operations between Mexican and Colombian cartels.
Last March 2010, more than 80 tons of precursor chemical in 400 barrels
was confiscated by authorities of the port.
Mexico's navy has also seized a homemade submarine
carrying a drug shipment off the Pacific coast in Manzanillo, and
arrested its four-man crew. These homemade subs are capable of carrying
9 tons of drugs; in this case, 5 tons of cocaine was seized.