The Mexican navy seized 3.5 tons of cocaine hidden in a semisubmersible vessel off the Pacific coast, authorities said Friday, while releasing video of the “narco sub” being intercepted.
The vessel, manned by three people and carrying 180 packages of cocaine, was detected during a maritime patrol in waters off the southern state of Guerrero, the navy said in a statement.
Authorities released images of the seized drugs next to a Mexican naval ship as well as video of the craft being intercepted at sea.
Mexican navy 
It is the latest in a series of major drug hauls showcased by the Latin American nation, which is under pressure from President Donald Trump to curb narcotics smuggling.
Mexican authorities have seized more than 44.8 tons of cocaine at sea since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October, the navy said.
That month, the navy announced that it had seized more than 8.3 tons of an unspecified type of drugs found in a semisubmersible and a convoy of other vessels off the Pacific coast — a record for a single operation at sea.
In early June, authorities said they had seized nearly 42 tons of methamphetamine worth more than $50 million during raids on illegal drug labs on land.
Mr. Trump has cited trafficking of illegal drugs — particularly the synthetic opioid fentanyl — as one of the reasons for the tariffs he has imposed on imports from Mexico.
Mexican Navy 
Semisubmersibles, which cannot go fully underwater, are popular among international drug traffickers as they can sometimes elude detection by law enforcement. The vessels — which are often spotted in Colombian waters while heading to the United States, Central America and Europe — have also been intercepted off Mexico in recent months.
In November, the Mexican Navy said it seized 3.6 tons of cocaine aboard a semisubmersible off the Pacific coast which was spotted about 153 miles off the resort of Acapulco.
Last August, Mexico seized more than seven tons of cocaine in two separate raids in the Pacific Ocean, and dramatic video captured the high-speed chases on the open sea.
