5.8 tons of methamphetamine seized in Mexico

Army, National Guard and Mexican federal prosecutors have seized more than 5.8 tons of methamphetamine in Sinaloa - the largest seizure of this drug by the current administration, which began in December 2018.

A statement from the Defense Ministry on Saturday said the seizure took place two days earlier, on 27 January, in the northwestern state of Sinaloa in a town near the capital, Culiacan.

Pictures released alongside the statement on Saturday show piles of materials used to manufacture the drugs.

More than 2.4 tons were liquid methamphetamine, which once crystallized would weigh slightly less, about two tons.

Culiacan is a major processing point for synthetic drugs, including fentanyl, which are then distributed northward and end up mostly in the United States.

The Sinaloa cartel, whose leader Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán is serving a life sentence in a US prison, controls the state.

IMAGE: AP