Members of the Mexican Army, the National Guard, and Zacatecas state police located and dismantled a clandestine drug laboratory where synthetic drugs were allegedly being manufactured in the mountains of the municipality of Sombrerete, very close to the border with the state of Durango. The region is an area where the Sinaloa Cartel, specifically the faction associated with Mayo Zambada, has a strong presence.
In a press release issued jointly on Sunday night by the Fifth Military Region of the Secretariat of National Defense, the command of the 11th Military Zone, based in the city of Guadalupe—part of the metropolitan area of the capital of Zacatecas—and the State Secretariat of Public Security, authorities reported the discovery and disabling of the clandestine laboratory during an operation carried out on Thursday, August 6.
According to the official report, “during surveillance patrols and ground reconnaissance operations in the mountainous area of the municipality of Sombrerete,” with support from a Black Hawk helicopter belonging to the Zacatecas State Public Security Secretariat, military personnel and police officers “disabled a clandestine laboratory used for the production of synthetic drugs and a camp used by organized crime for criminal activities.”
At the site, authorities found 20 reactors, 260 LP gas tanks, 21 drums labeled benzyl alcohol containing a total of 4,200 liters, and 217 sacks of caustic soda weighing a total of 5,425 kilograms.
They also found nine sacks containing a granular substance with characteristics consistent with lead, with a total weight of 1,450 kilograms, as well as nine drums containing an additional 360 kilograms of the same metal.
Authorities also seized 40 containers containing probable liquid chemical precursors, totaling 8,200 liters, along with four containers containing solid chemical precursors weighing a total of 300 kilograms.
The federal government bulletin also reported the discovery of 12 tanks containing a total of 4,500 liters of formaldehyde. The clandestine laboratory also contained four chemical waste areas, three motor pumps, seven submersible pumps, one scale, and one manual forklift.
“The seized materials were placed at the disposal of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) in the city of Zacatecas, in order to continue with the relevant investigations and forensic procedures.”
No arrests were reported during the seizure of the clandestine camp. Authorities also did not report whether an armed confrontation occurred with the alleged criminals, who are presumed to have left the site before military and police personnel arrived.
Source: jornada
