Three men were arrested and more than 58 pounds of cocaine were seized during a multi-agency operation in Juárez over the weekend, according to authorities.
The drug bust was part of Operación Frontera Norte (Northern Border), a Mexican military operation to combat drug trafficking along the U.S. border.
Three men were arrested on drug charges after 25 brick-shaped packages of cocaine were discovered inside a white 2014 Honda CRV during a traffic stop around 3:30 p.m.
According to a news release from the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office, the incident occurred on Saturday, March 1 on Luis Urbina Street near Efren Ornelas Street in Juárez’s Reforma neighborhood.
The arrestees were Jaime Joel L.Z., 47, Gustavo Adolfo C.H., 22, and Benito A.A., 55. Authorities did not reveal last names in accordance with Mexico’s rules for identifying crime suspects.
The case was coordinated by Chihuahua’s State Investigations Agency, the Mexican army and National Guard, and Juárez police.
Kilo of ‘rock cocaine’
It was the second major cocaine seizure in Juárez in a week.
On Thursday afternoon, Feb. 27, the State Investigations Agency arrested Luis Carlos O.M., 22, on drug charges after agents discovered a kilo of “rock cocaine” in a 2023 Honda City car he was driving in the Orvieto residential area of northeast Juárez, according to officials. The cocaine was in a brick-shaped package labeled “HH.”
Operation Northern Border arrests, seizures in Chihuahua state
Mexico’s Security Cabinet announced several other arrests and seizures in Chihuahua related to Operation Northern Border last week, including:
A weekend arrest resulted in the seizure of three firearms, a vehicle, and six cards bearing unspecified “identification codes.”
Eleven stolen pickup trucks, cars, and even a 2023 Kenworth tractor-trailer were discovered during a warehouse raid by soldiers and state police in Ejido Nuevo Lajas, Buenaventura. The vehicles are thought to have been stolen in the United States.
A ton-and-a-half of marijuana (1,714 kilos) hidden inside 129 sacks was discovered by state police, soldiers from the 35th Infantry Battalion, and the National Guard before dawn on Wednesday, Feb. 26, near the El Willy mass grave in the Casas Grandes region.
There have also been drug and firearm seizures in towns and cities throughout the state.