9 Synthetic Drug Labs Seized in Sinaloa Over 4 Day Period

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

SEDENA seized a total of 9 narco-labs and chemicals, no drugs or arrests were reported.

Agents from the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) have implemented consecutive seizures in the stronghold of the Sinaloa Cartel and dismantled six more narco-laboratories of the criminal organization in two consecutive days southeast of Culiacán.

With the recent seizure, Army elements accumulate almost a dozen clandestine establishments used for the manufacture of synthetic drugs. All these points were located since June 3 in the same region where the transnational crime group operates.

According to Sedena, the last interventions by military personnel were between June 5 and 6 of the recent week in the municipalities of Cosalá and Elota. The military authorities indicated that the findings derived from planning and intelligence work. The reaction forces moved to the towns of La Hilama, Vado Hondo, Bacata, Mezcaltitlán, and Río Elota in the demarcations surrounding the capital, a stronghold of the Chapitos, sons of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, El Chapo.

Last Sunday, June 5, the soldiers found two drug labs. One of them was in the community of Bacata in the municipality of Cosalá. There, 44 50-liter drums were seized; 16 plastic coolers; and 9 burners with a hose. There were also 5 plastic tubs; 2 thermoses of the same material; 2 funnels; 2 strainers; an organic synthesis reactor with 6 valves; a metal drum with a capacity of 200 liters; and a bucket.

While in Mezcaltitlán, in Cosalá, Sedena located and secured 18 drums with a capacity of 50 liters; 1 1 package of caustic soda; 4 pewter pots; 4 plastic tubs; 3 gas tanks; 2 transparent jars; in addition to a metallic structure for burners.

Meanwhile, on June 6, the military went to La Ilama, also in Cosalá, where they seized 25 40-liter drums; 8 metal drums with a capacity of 200 liters; 8 plastic tubs of 1,000 liters; 2 transparent jars; a metallic organic synthesis reactor; and a jar with a capacity of 500 liters with unknown residues.

Another narco-laboratory was in Vado Hondo. There, 11 20-liter buckets were seized; 9 plastic drums; 7 tubs of 300 liters; a metallic organic synthesis reactor with a capacity of 200 liters; a drum and a pewter pot with a capacity of 40 liters. While in Mezcaltitlán, 15 sacks of yellow powder were seized; 14 drums; 6 plastic drums; a metallic organic synthesis reactor; in addition to a boat with a capacity of 200 liters.

The soldiers went to the Elota River, where they found 20 more drums containing 600 liters of an unknown substance; 13 gas tanks; 6 jars with a capacity of 500 liters, also full of unidentified chemical material. The same had 6 sacks of caustic soda of 25 kilos each ; 3 pewter pots; 2 sections of PVC of 4 inches; a metallic organic synthesis reactor with a capacity of 200 liters; two metal drums; a pewter pot and a drum.

Federal authorities also seized and dismantled three narco-laboratories in the municipalities of Badiraguato, Cosalá, and Elota, Sinaloa, in which materials and chemicals were found to make synthetic drugs. The clandestine laboratories were found by Mexican Army personnel in territories near Culiacán, the state capital, and the control area of ​​the Sinaloa Cartel, a city that holds one of the first places in securing this type of facility.

The first laboratory was located in the town of Soyatita, belonging to the municipality of Badiraguato; a place in which military personnel detected the clandestine facilities to subsequently install a security perimeter for review and subsequent disabling. Events that occurred on June 3.

Inside the place, 34 drums with 945 liters of unknown chemical substances were found; 4 bags of 25 kilograms each, with the marking "Anhydrous calcium chloride"; two 200-liter metal drums with the marking “benzyl alcohol”, and two reactors for organic synthesis.

A second narco-laboratory was discovered on June 4 by soldiers in the town of Calafato and Ipucha, in the municipality of Cosalá, when Sedena personnel carried out surveillance tours, which led to the detection of a place where synthetic drugs were made.

In the vicinity of the open-air laboratory, military elements found 50 LP gas tanks.; 50 plastic drums containing 1,700 liters of unknown chemical substances; instruments for the preparation of chemical substances; 20 kilograms of caustic soda; and six reactors for organic synthesis, with a capacity of 200 liters. In the same way, three tubs containing 360 kilograms of methamphetamine were seized, 5 tubs with the legend "gluconic acid/potassium phosphate/methyl cinnamaldehyde"; two mixers with a capacity of 50 liters each; and two vehicles.

The same day, military personnel detected another drug laboratory in the town of Chirimole, in the municipality of Elota, a place that was also identified as a drug manufacturing site by federal security elements.

The soldiers found 10 LP gas tanks at the scene, each with a capacity of 30 liters, five metal drums with a capacity of 200 liters, three drums with a capacity of 40 liters with the legend "sulfuric acid", two jars with a capacity of 500 liters and a tub with a capacity of 10 liters.

The authorities did not report people arrested for the events, so it is unknown if there were employees working in the places or if someone was monitoring the drug manufacturing points. All the materials, substances, and instruments were placed at the disposal of the competent authorities, who will integrate the investigation folder for the facts since they will prosecute those responsible for committing crimes against health.

Source Infobae, Infobae