Army seizes 12 tonnes of marijuana in Tijuana, biggest haul of 2008
Mexico's army seized at least 12 tonnes of marijuana in Tijuana on 17 and 18 July 2008, the biggest haul since President Calderón sent thousands of troops to the border region. About three tonnes were found in a stolen car and the rest the next day, amid an army tally of over 500 tonnes seized in Baja California that year.
Mexico’s army seized at least 12 tonnes of marijuana in the border city of
Tijuana, in what officials called the largest haul since President Felipe
Calderón sent more than 25,000 troops to the region to tackle trafficking.[1]
Officials said about three tonnes of the drug were found in a stolen car on
the Thursday while the rest was discovered on the Friday.[1]The seizure came
as the army said it had confiscated more than 500 tonnes of marijuana in the
state of Baja California alone so far in 2008.[1]Calderón had come to power
in 2006 promising to rid Mexico of organised and drug-related crime.[1]
The BBC’s Americas editor noted that, despite celebrations at the military
barracks in Tijuana, the seizure was a mostly symbolic victory that left the
cartel bosses far from dealt a death blow.[1]Authorities described the
traffickers as extremely organised and unwilling to give up an enterprise worth
tens of millions of dollars every year.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Chihuahua state prosecutors seized 49 grams of marijuana and military-style clothing in a court-ordered search of a house in the Reforma neighbourhood of Cuauhtémoc. No arrests were reported, and the evidence was turned over to the retail-drug unit.
Capital Guardia Municipal officers seized about 47.3 grams of marijuana abandoned in a bag in the Juan Ruiz de Alarcón park in colonia Virreyes, San Luis Potosí. The man seen allegedly consuming the drug fled and was not detained; the packaged herb was sent to the State Attorney General's Office for investigation.
Guanajuato state police say K9 dog Momo flagged 12 parcels in a Salamanca messaging firm holding 111 vapes, 42 apparently with marijuana, plus parts for two long guns. The seized items were placed at the disposal of the corresponding authorities; no detainees were reported.
Municipal, state and army officers seized 31 parcels of suspected marijuana and 23 wrappers of a substance like crystal in San Juan de Abajo, Bahía de Banderas, plus an abandoned Honda XR motorcycle. No one was arrested after the rider reportedly fled, and prosecutors were left to identify him.
