More than 242 thousand cartons of cigarettes were seized at the Manzanillo customs in Colima by the Secretary of the Navy (Semar) because they are counterfeit goods intended for the Mexican market. The illegal merchandise, originating from a Southeast Asian country, consisted of 242,400 cartons of counterfeit cigarettes.
In a joint operation between the Secretary of the Navy and the Attorney General's Office (FGR) at the customs, a container declaring to contain other types of merchandise was inspected. Following the established protocols, all the cigarettes were handed over to the FGR for the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office to proceed with the investigations and decide the fate of the merchandise, either destruction or incineration.
The Secretary of the Navy highlighted operations in Baja California in collaboration with the Secretary of National Defense (Defensa), FGR, National Guard (GN), and the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), resulting in the detention of nine individuals and the seizure of more than four million 300 thousand doses of drugs, fuel, illicit cargo, and three vessels.
In a first action, a smaller vessel was seized with 1,550 liters of fuel, 16 jerrycans, and a tank, and three crew members were arrested. In a second operation, 2,190 kilos of cocaine, four jerrycans, and a tank with 450 liters of fuel were confiscated along with the capture of three individuals. In the third action, a smaller vessel, 26 jerrycans, and a tank with 1,420 liters of fuel were seized, and three crew members were detained.
The detainees and the seized merchandise were transferred to Mazatlán, Sinaloa, to be presented to the Federal Public Prosecutor's agent, who will determine their legal situation and initiate the corresponding investigation into the case. The seized drugs have an estimated value of 561 million 187 thousand 500 pesos.
