Clandestine Drug Lab Shut Down in Jalisco

Mexican Marines found and dismantled a clandestine drug lab in the western state of Jalisco, the Mexican navy department said Friday.

Troops discovered the lab while on patrol near an agave plantation about 11 kilometers (7 miles) from the town of Ciudad Guzman, the department said in a statement.

The lab contained two centrifuges, a boiler, four burners, metal and plastic receptacles of various sizes, 390 kilos of butane gas and more than seven tons of chemicals used in the manufacture of synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine.

Authorities have found a number of similar labs in Jalisco, where the Los Zetas and Jalisco Nueva Generacion drug cartels are battling to dominate the illegal trade following the death of Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel, a top figure in the powerful Sinaloa cartel.

Mexico produces most of the crystal meth consumed in the United States and Mexican cartels are the main suppliers of illegal stimulants to the U.S. market.

The U.S. drug market has seen declining demand for cocaine and a simultaneous rise in demand for synthetic drugs, officials and analysts say.