Mexican troops seize over 15 million dollars belonging to drug lord

Mexican troops seize over 15 million dollars belonging to drug lord

2011-11-23 21:53:26 GMT+7 (ICT)

MEXICO CITY (BNO NEWS) -- Mexican army troops recently seized more than $15 million in cash believed to belong to one of the leaders of the Sinaloa drug cartel, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

Soldiers found the money on Friday when they carried out a surprise search of a car in the Cumbres de Juárez neighborhood of Tijuana, a city near the U.S. border. Defense Ministry spokesman General Ricardo Trevilla said 3 kilograms (6.6 lbs) of cocaine, two rifles, two handguns and jewelry were also found inside the car.

According to authorities, the $15.3 million in cash was going to be delivered to a center of operations of the Sinaloa cartel, a criminal gang headed by Joaquín Guzmán Loera, also known as 'El Chapo.' No arrests were made during the operation.

The cash seizure by the Mexican army on Friday was the largest since soldiers seized $26.2 million in Culiacán in the northwestern state of Sinaloa in 2008. The money was found in a house owned by Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, also a leader of the Sinaloa cartel.

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