Mexico Uncovers Massive Meth Lab

Chemicals Seized Could Make 40 Tons Of Drug; Navy Also Detects Cocaine Smuggled In Sharks

(AP)  The Mexican Navy gave reporters a firsthand look Tuesday at what they described as one of the largest methamphetamine labs ever found in the country, with enough ephedrine to produce more than 40 tons of the drug.

The smell of chemical solvents was overwhelming at the remote mountaintop site in the northern state of Sinaloa, where Navy personnel on patrol last week stumbled across an enormous holding tank they initially thought might be used to water a marijuana plantation.

Instead, the tank fed water to a pair of enormous sheds where sailors found 13,000 gallon) of ephedrine, a chemical used to make methamphetamine. That is enough to produce 40.2 metric tons of the drug, or about 309 million individual doses.

The members of the Navy patrol found drums, barrels and other chemicals used in the process at the site, located on a dirt road miles from the nearest town.

"This is one of the heaviest blows to the drug traffickers in this administration ... as far as synthetic drugs are concerned," said Vice Admiral Jorge Humberto Maldonado, who estimated that the precursors were enough to produce methamphetamine worth $1.4 billion in street value.

That would make it larger than the May seizure of more than 8 tons of finished methamphetamine at a clandestine drug lab in the western state of Michoacan.

In 2006, Mexican officials seized more than 19 tons of a similar precursor chemical, pseudoephedrine acetate, at a Pacific coast port. Mexico subsequently banned almost all legal uses of pseudoephedrine, but traffickers have apparently found other illegal routes to get the material. On Tuesday, Guatemalan authorities confiscated nearly 10 million pseudoephedrine pills worth $33 million, the country's biggest seizure of the substance.

The Navy carried out the Thursday bust in Mexico's so-called Golden Triangle, where traffickers long have operated. But was no immediate indication which drug cartel ran the facility.

The Navy also reported Tuesday that it had detected a shipment of cocaine hidden inside the carcasses of frozen sharks aboard a freight ship at the Gulf coast port of Progreso. The Navy did not provide an immediate estimate of the amount of cocaine found, but said it had been detected in an X-ray inspection of the shipment.

Also Tuesday, police found the bodies of seven young men who were beaten or shot to death in the state of Durango in northern Mexico.

At least three of the bodies had bullet wounds. The others appear to have been beaten to death.

Investigations into the case are continuing, but the style of the killings suggested the involvement of drug gangs.

An employee of the state prosecutor's office, who was not authorized to be quoted by name, said the bodies were found on a street in the city of Gomez Palacio.

And in the western state of Michoacan, three suspected kidnappers were killed in a shootout with local police in the city of Uruapan. State prosecutors said the shootout occurred Tuesday after police got a report of kidnappers fleeing in a truck and attempted to stop them.

More than 10,800 people have been killed by drug violence since President Felipe Calderon launched a nationwide crackdown on organized crime in late 2006.

[Paul-Solomon]

The "cocaine-in-the-frozen-shark" deal is already old news. How about the guy from Oklahoma who got mugged for his bologna sandwich, with a street value of 76 cents?

http://www.paulsolomon.blogspot.com

[South-of-Heaven]

Mexico is "fighting the War on Drugs"
In the Cities, in the countryside,
taking down drug dealer after drug dealer,
Raiding Municipal police city by city
arresting mayors, city workers and politicians.
5000 more Soldiers are being deployed from
Basic training today.

The End User should face stifffer penalties or everything should be legalised,
There is too much Blood being spilled So the U.S. Citizen crackhead
can go to work stoned.....

[armyoftwelve]

Now that Mexico is cracking down on drug DEALERS we need to crack down on drug USERS in this country. Where do you people geet off thinking that you have any legitimate reason to even USE crack or heroin or whatever?????

[Paul-Solomon]

The party's over for the perpetrators of the "coke-in-the-frozen-shark" escapade.
http://www.paulsolomon.blogspot.com

[Paul-Solomon]

Mexican drug smugglers get extra-credit bonus points for creativity after attempting to smuggle over a ton of cocaine inside 20 frozen shark carcasses. This gives new meaning to the phrase "Great White". Details have not yet been released as to where the sharks were being delivered and to whom, but an unidentified spokesman said there is no truth to the rumor that the sharks were en route to an after-party for Lindsay Lohan.

[woeisme1]

by TheMasses0003 June 17, 2009 12:30 PM PDT
Crack is Whack!

Don't get whacked on crack! I still can't quit the stuff!

======================
So that's what's wrong with you! I figured you were on drugs.

[bajajohn1]

Darn meth users in Alaska will have to find another source.

[TheMasses0003]

Mexico Uncovers Massive Meth Lab
-----------------------------
Looks like the lefties will have to find another supplier.

[gravyboat3000]

Good job by the Mexican Navy in finding this lab.

Muchas Gracias, los Marineros de Mexico!

[TheMasses0003]

Crack is Whack!

Don't get whacked on crack!

[All_pols_need_2_go]

Now tell me again why I have to sign a log book when my allergies kick up and I need some Claritin or other Ephedrine based cold/sinus medicine? Oh yeah so that the knucklehead politicians can slap themselves on the back and act as though they single handedly cut the supply of meth. Yeah right sure that was going to work to get rid of meth. I mean who in their right mind would have ever thought that Mexico might just get the precursors in BULK delivered to them to make it there then ship it to America? No one could have foreseen this happening, right? But hey we give up our rights to privacy so they can pretend they are doing something.

[South-of-Heaven]

Less Cracker Crack heading to a trailer bark near you..

[roghil]

Since when is a pseudoephedrine pill worth $3.30?

[All_pols_need_2_go]

Since when does the government give accurate accounting of anything? If it plays in their favor to make it look big they inflate the values to jack up their "stats". If it plays into their favor to claim it won't cost much they say figures that are much lower than they know it will be in the end. Just look at almost any drug bust and the numbers don't add up. I once saw a pot bust that was quoted as being worth $1000 a ounce. I have even seen them list the value down to the penny IE $16,542.37. Remember these are people that find a pot plot growing outside and will pull it up by the roots with dirt and all and not even dried out yet to tell you how much they got in total weight, which in reality is total BS.