Through a collaborative effort among the Tax Administration Service (Servicio de Administración Tributaria), the Department of the Armed Navy of México (la Secretaría de Marina Armada de México), and the Attorney General of the Republic (Procuraduría General de la República – PGR), 200 tons of chemicals utilized to manufacture illicit drugs were seized in the port of Manzanillo, Colima.
In the 18 containers seized there were nearly 970 metal drums which contained chemical precursors such as phenylethyl acetate, phenylacetic acid, and phenylethyl alcohol. Most of the chemicals found are used to create synthetic drugs such crack cocaine or methamphetamine. All of the containers were originally shipped from Korea and China under fake permits that gave false information regarding to what was inside of them.
The finding comes a week after the cartel kingpin Ignacio Coronel Villarreal was killed during a confrontation with police forces in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The area in which the containers were located became an area of interest for investigators following Villarreal’s death.
Sources:
García, Gustavo Castillo. “Histórico decomiso de precursores.” La Jornada. 05 August, 2010.
Milenio. “Decomiso histórico de precursores en Colima.” Milenio. 05 August, 2010.
