Tijuana: 631 kilos of cocaine seized
In the largest cocaine seizure in Tijuana this year, over a half ton was confiscated by elements of the Army, and Los PEP, from a home on Todos Santos, in Colonia Pacifico Industry. Initial reports indicate men were observed transferring packages from two cars to the home, and some how the Army and PEP responded, arresting 4 men, and seizing the product.
There is believed to be more product inside the home, which is being closely guarded, as the press takes shots of the kilos stacked high on a press conference table, sealed and taped for entry into the US, color coordinated for distributor, location and runner.
This seizure comes a few months after a quickly built tunnel running into Otay Mesa, San Diego was compromised, and 1,000 kilos were seized in transit to Los Angeles. Los PEP had made several significant seizures this year, almost all linked to CJNG, including the 50 kilos in May, and another seizure of 319 kilos in March.
These are significant losses to the owners, investors, and plaza bosses overseeing these shipments, with no explanations. The latest seizure is certainly linked to higher level operatives given it's size, and the relatively small amount of crystal found. Cocaine is more then 10x the price of crystal in Tijuana and in the United States, it cost more to purchase, traffic, and cross then any of the other drugs.
631 kilos purchased in Colombia at a cost of roughly 1500-3000 per, by the time it's reached Tijuana, it's worth close to 22,000, as individual units, so this represents a loss of easily 10 million dollars, a conservative estimate.. This could destroy the confidence of the bosses in the ground crews ability to protect and cross major shipments.
Sources:
AFN Tijuana