Mexican authorities seized almost 18 tons of chemicals used to produce synthetic drugs in the Pacific port of Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan.
The cargo was found in an inspection of a Hong Kong-flagged vessel, in a coordinated operation by customs agents, officers from the federal Attorney General’s Office and marines from the Mexican Navy.
The chemicals were put on board the boat at Jawaharlal Nehru Port, west India, El Universal reported.
According to the Attorney’s General Office, the container carried 80 barrels with a total weight of around 17,800 kg of a substance called ethyl 2-phenylacetate which can be used in the production of synthetic drugs including methamphetamine.
In July, the army made the record seizure of 800 tons of precursor chemicals in central Mexico.
As InSight Crime has previously reported, although chemicals input are essential for the production of all major drugs, except marijuana, the international trade in these goods has been given little attention by the media. These chemicals often arrive in Mexico from countries in Asia.