7,200 Mezcal Bottles Filled With 9.5 Tons of Liquid Meth Intercepted En Route to Australia

A Mexican Marine waits for a container for a drug inspection in the port of Manzanillo, Mexico, Wednesday, July 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

On Wednesday, Mexican Marines at the Pacific coast port of Manzanillo seized thousands of bottles of liquid meth disguised as mezcal. The contraband, found on board a Liberian-marked vessel, was destined for Australia according to shipping documents.

In total, 7,200 clear bottles labeled with the fictitious brand name “Mezcal Social” were discovered to contain around 9.5 tons of liquid methamphetamine.

The drug bust represents the latest move against a smuggling operation of massive proportions.

In a startlingly similar incident at the same port last April, Mexican Navy inspectors aided by sniffer dogs intercepted 11,520 tequila bottles filled with nearly 10 tons of concentrated liquid meth. It was later revealed that the shipment was headed for Australia.

Authorities have yet to make a public statement regarding possible connections between the two shipments.

Mexican cartels have reportedly ramped up production of fentanyl and meth at an unprecedented rate over the past decade. According to Mexican Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval, meth seizures rose from 60 tons in 2016-2018 to almost 137.5 tons in 2019-2021. So far this year, authorities have already seized 124 tons.

In situations like these, concentrated liquid meth is smuggled across international waters before being processed into a crystalline form at its point of destination.

In 2022, officials in Hong Kong reportedly found 2 tons of liquid meth disguised as coconut water destined for Mexico. Authorities estimated the haul at around $140 million.

Read More: 

Bomb Squad Responds to ‘Explosive’ UPS Package, Later Revealed as Expensive Tequila

Tequila Ready-To-Drink Roundup: Reviewing Espresso Martinis, Juice Boxes, ‘Dad Water’ and More

[newsletter-promo[