Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, August 3, 2026 – Mexico’s Navy seized approximately 4.4 tons of suspected cocaine during two maritime operations off Oaxaca and Chiapas, detaining 16 people aboard four small boats.
The Mexican Navy said the operations were conducted by naval personnel operating as the country’s Coast Guard.
The first seizure took place off the coast of Oaxaca, where patrol crews detected two boats traveling under suspicious circumstances. An inspection uncovered 127 bundles and 42 packages containing approximately three tons of suspected cocaine. Six outboard motors were also seized, and 10 people were detained.
A second operation off Chiapas involved two additional small boats. One was carrying 24 bundles containing approximately 1,423 kilograms of suspected cocaine, along with more than 2,000 liters of fuel. Six people were detained in that operation.
The detainees, boats, suspected drugs, and other seized materials were placed at the disposal of the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office. Their legal status will be determined as the investigation proceeds.
The Navy also reported separate operations in the Puerto Vallarta region and elsewhere. In Aguamilpa, Bahía de Banderas, naval personnel were fired upon during a ground patrol. One sailor was wounded, and an alleged attacker was killed after the patrol returned fire. Authorities reported seizing a firearm, magazines, and ammunition in the incident. PVDN reported separately on the armed encounter near Aguamilpa.
In Sinaloa, naval personnel located and destroyed a clandestine laboratory in the Península de Villamoros area of Culiacán. Approximately 300 liters of chemical substances used in methamphetamine production were recovered.
The Navy did not report a cocaine seizure in Jalisco waters or any effect on Puerto Vallarta’s port or coastal activity. The operation does, however, add to a series of large maritime drug seizures along Mexico’s Pacific coast. PVDN previously reported another multi-ton Navy seizure in the Pacific.
