Watch dramatic high-speed chase as Mexican navy attempt to stop cartel drug boats carrying more than 7 tons of cocaine

28 August 2024, 10:00 | Updated: 28 August 2024, 10:08

Mexican Navy chase drug boats in the Pacific

Mexican authorities seized over seven tons of suspected cocaine in two separate raids in the Pacific Ocean, according to the country’s navy.

Dramatic video footage captured the intense high-speed chases at sea.In the first operation, footage from a navy-provided Panther helicopter shows a boat chase southwest of Manzanillo.

Naval officers aboard a patrol vessel intercepted three speedboats, leading to the confiscation of 126 packages containing 5.6 tons of suspected cocaine, the largest drug bust of the current administration.

The navy reported the arrest of 15 suspects and the seizure of over 1,000 liters of fuel.

In a second operation near the coastal city of Lázaro Cárdenas in Michoacán state—a region known for cartel violence—naval patrol boats and a helicopter recovered 32 packages floating in the water, containing approximately 1.6 tons of suspected cocaine.

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A small speedboat with three outboard motors was also confiscated.

After the raids, the navy released images on social media showing dozens of wrapped packages laid out on a patrol vessel alongside officers and a helicopter.

Fifteen individuals were detained after the Mexican Navy intercepted 7,200 kilograms of drugs in two separate high-speed chases on August 23.

According to a government statement, the confiscation of the "presumably cocaine" was the largest during their administration.

Footage from the navy reveals that the operations occurred off Mexico's Pacific coast, with the first near Manzanillo and the second near Lázaro Cárdenas.