Mexican army makes massive marijuana seizure

Mexican authorities seized over 105 tonnes of marijuana in the border town of Tijuana on Monday, the largest such seizure in years. Army and police officers confiscated over 10,000 packages of the drug following a shootout between municipal officers and gunmen in a convoy of vehicles.

Reuters

The army and state police sent reinforcements and 11 people were arrested. Follow-up searches led to further seizures at several addresses in the city.

Mexican army General Alfonso Duarte told reporters that the traffickers were intending to cross the border into the United States, although he did not confirm which of the drug cartels owned the drugs.

He said the drugs had a value of over 240 million euros but that their worth could have doubled or tripled if they were sold in the US.

Over 28,000 people have been killed since Mexican President Felipe Calderon announced a crackdown on drug cartels in 2006.

In the bordering US state of California, voters are to decide in two weeks whether to legalise marijuana for recreational use.