It is one of the most significant drug discoveries in years: investigators have dug up a huge laboratory in Mexico. 41 tons of methamphetamine were seized. The drugs were apparently also intended to be smuggled into Europe.
Mexican security forces have discovered a massive drug laboratory in a rural area in the northwest of the country. The army said 41 tons of methamphetamine and 12.7 tons of chemicals for producing synthetic drugs were seized during the operation. The find in the town of Rancho Viejo in the state of Sonora was the most important in Mexico in years. No arrests were reported.
The agency released photos of the lab showing 72 large metal cauldrons and chemical reactors. More than 200 centrifuges, boilers and condensation chambers were discovered. The facility was therefore destroyed. A spokesman stated that the methamphetamines were apparently intended to be smuggled into Europe, Asia and the USA.
More than 30,000 homicides in 2023
Against the backdrop of the so-called drug war, Mexico suffers from high crime and widespread impunity. Drug cartels and crime syndicates control entire regions of the Latin American country and fight among themselves for areas of influence and smuggling routes.
Last year, more than 30,000 homicides were registered in the country with around 126 million inhabitants. Many of the crimes are never solved.