Mexican Navy seizes nearly 8,000 pounds of cocaine from boat

Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The Navy of Mexico announced nine arrests as it seized nearly 8,000 pounds of cocaine in the waters off Acapulco.

The Mexican government said its Coast Guard personnel had seized more than 7,900 pounds of cocaine roughly 133 nautical miles southeast of Acapulco in the state of Guerrero in southwest Mexico along the Pacific Ocean.

Nine unidentified individuals were arrested. But six of the alleged suspects were foreign nationals, officials said.

Officials said the nine-member crew was spotted via aerial and maritime surveillance by a Mexican naval aircraft in a "Go Fast" boat with two outboard motors.

The 20-50 foot long boats are v-shaped hull vessels typically used by drug traffickers to smuggle illicit cargo, according to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

On board were 102 black, brick-shaped packages and the interior reportedly contained white powder "with characteristics similar to cocaine," Mexico's Navy said, adding that afterward the alleged offenders and cargo were then taken to land more than 100 miles away where they were met by authorities.

Mexico's government made it a point to say that the six foreign citizens were taken into custody "in strict compliance with human rights" and their "physical integrity" was "respected," it claimed.

Navy officials added it "works to inhibit criminal activity" by means of maritime, aerial and land surveillance operations "in order to guarantee and maintain the rule of law at sea."