Cocaine Found Stuffed Inside Frozen Sharks

Mexican authorities bust drug smugglers attempting to bring cocaine into the U.S.

By H. Hughes
|  Wednesday, Jun 17, 2009  |  Updated 9:15 AM PDT
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Cocaine Found Stuffed Inside Frozen Sharks

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The Mexican navy found one ton of cocaine hidden inside more than 20 frozen sharks.

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Mexican drug gangs are going to greater lengths to conceal drugs bound for the U.S. -- this time they've used sharks. Mexico's Navy seized more than a ton of cocaine stuffed inside frozen sharks, reported Reuters.

More than 20 sharks were cut open to reveal slabs of cocaine stuffed inside the carcasses, according to the Mexican media and navy. Officials found the drugs after checking a freight ship in the Gulf Coast port of Progreso in Yucatan state. X-ray machines and sniffer dogs helped uncover the drugs, according to Reuters.

"We are talking about more than a ton of cocaine that was inside the ship," said Navy Commander Eduardo Villa. "Those in charge of the shipment said it was a conserving agent but after checks we confirmed it was cocaine."

Drug gangs are coming up with increasingly creative ways of getting drugs into the United States -- in sealed beer cans, religious statues and furniture -- as Mexico's military cracks down on the cartels attempting to move South American drugs north. Some cartels are even building submarines to sneak cocaine in and out of Mexico, reported the Washington Post.

President Felipe Calderon has sent 45,000 troops and federal police across Mexico to try to crush powerful smuggling cartels. But traffickers armed with a huge arsenal of grenades and automatic weapons are far from defeated, creating widespread worries as violence continues to spill over onto this side of the border.

Read the full Reuters article: "Mexico finds cocaine haul hidden in frozen sharks".

Posted Jul 17, 2009
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