The Army of Nicaragua seized 240 packages of cocaine after an armed confrontation on the Pacific coast, in a naval pursuit that ended with no arrests in the Playa Tesoro area, department of León.
The operation began yesterday, November 13, when a patrol from the Naval Troops Battalion was carrying out routine maritime surveillance tasks in the waters of the Pacific coast. During the patrol, the military identified an artisanal fishing vessel heading north after having departed from the San Juan del Sur area.
As it passed near Puerto Sandino, naval authorities ordered the vessel to stop for a routine inspection. The boat's crew disobeyed the official instruction and began evasive maneuvers in the water to evade the patrol.
At that moment, the occupants opened fire with military-grade weapons against the military personnel, triggering a shootout at sea. In order to avoid capture, the suspects steered the vessel toward the shore until it ran aground on the beaches of Salinas Grandes. After reaching land, the individuals fled on foot and dispersed along the coastal area, so security forces were unable to make arrests at the scene.
Once the perimeter and the abandoned vessel were secured, the military inspected the structure and found eight sacks that…
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Members of the Naval Force of the Army of Nicaragua guard the eight sacks containing 240 packages of cocaine seized next to the boat that ran aground in Salinas Grandes, department of León (Courtesy: Primerísima Nicaragua)
The Army of Nicaragua seized 240 packages of cocaine after an armed confrontation on the Pacific coast, in a naval pursuit that ended with no one detained in the Playa Tesoro area, department of León. The operation began yesterday, November 13, when a patrol from the Naval Troops Battalion was carrying out routine maritime surveillance tasks in the waters of the Pacific coast. During their route, the military personnel identified an artisanal fishing vessel sailing northward after having departed from the San Juan del Sur area. As it passed near the vicinity of Puerto Sandino, naval authorities ordered it to stop for a routine inspection. The boat's crew disobeyed the official instruction and began evasive maneuvers in the water to elude the patrol. At that moment, the occupants opened fire with military-grade weapons against the military personnel, triggering a gunfight at sea. In order to avoid capture, the suspects steered the vessel toward the shore until it ran aground on the beaches of Salinas Grandes. After reaching solid ground, the individuals fled on foot and dispersed along the coastal area, so security forces were unable to make arrests at the scene. Part of the sacks labeled with the seized drug remain under military surveillance on the sand before being handed over to police authorities for destruction (Courtesy: Primerísima Nicaragua).
Once the perimeter and the abandoned vessel were secured, the military personnel inspected the structure and found eight sacks containing 240 rectangular bricks of cocaine wrapped in adhesive tape. Frigate Captain Rigoberto Muñoz, second in command of the Naval Troops Battalion of the Army of Nicaragua, specified that part of the shipment bore exterior markings with the legends "El Fénix" and "Paco Rabanne," distinctive stamps that criminal gangs place to certify the origin, purity, and ownership of the illicit product. Subsequently, on November 14, the National Police carried out the formal destruction of the shipment as part of the joint work among the state's security institutions. The burning of the 240 rectangular bricks was carried out under the supervision of the competent authorities, following judicial protocols for eliminating controlled substances confiscated in national territory.
Nicaragua is located in a geographic corridor of intense drug traffic that is produced in South America and moved toward North America, an area where the Mexican cartels operate predominantly and where the largest concentrations of consumers worldwide reside. Due to this strategic location on the Central American isthmus, networks dedicated to maritime transport use speedboats and artisanal boats to move cargo close to the coasts, with the intention of evading radars and naval interdiction patrols. The use of coastal routes in the Pacific Ocean responds to the need of criminal organizations to connect departure points in South America with intermediate storage areas in Central America before entering the merchandise into Mexican and US territory.
The 240 rectangular bricks of cocaine consumed by the flames during the official burning carried out by police authorities (Courtesy: National Police of Nicaragua).
With the seizure carried out at Playa Tesoro, the Naval Force of the Army of Nicaragua has accumulated at least 995 packages of cocaine seized on the Pacific coast so far this year. Public reports detail that in April the military seized 82 packages at Playa Kisala, while in August the Pacific Naval District seized another 24 packages. During October, an intervention in Masachapa called operation National Dignity led to the discovery of 499 rectangular packages northwest of Masachapa, at Playa Salamina, to which was added another seizure of 150 packages in the same month, a record that completed the series of operations against drug trafficking on the coast of León and surrounding areas.