#maritime-drug-trafficking

#maritime-drug-trafficking

In February 2023, an article in the Mexican press announced the capture of a vessel some 195 nautical miles from the port of Lazaro Cardenas in the state of Michoacan. It had been carrying nearly 700 pounds of cocaine packaged in plastic-wrapped bricks, in addition to 1,650 liters of hydrocarbons in 33 plastic containers. Two Ecuadorian fishermen were among the five detainees, and their immigration records showed unusual activity.

An eighth US Navy vessel arrived in the Caribbean this week as part of President Donald Trump's push to combat maritime drug trafficking and cartel activity with military force. USS Stockdale, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, joins seven other American vessels in the waters of US Southern Command. Among the deployed warships are the destroyers USS Jason Dunham and USS Gravely, USS Lake Erie, a missile cruiser, and USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul, a littoral combat ship.