Federal agents seized 165 kilograms (364 pounds) of cocaine and arrested 11 passengers at Tijuana’s Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport on Thursday, July 10, after intercepting the drugs on a flight arriving from Guadalajara, Jalisco.
The operation was carried out by the Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC), the investigative arm of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR). It was coordinated with the National Guard, the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), and the Secretariats of National Defense and the Navy.
15 Kilos Per Backpack
During a detailed inspection of checked luggage from the Guadalajara flight, agents found 165 rectangular packages of white powder with the characteristics of cocaine. The drugs were hidden inside 11 backpacks, each containing roughly 15 kilograms (33 pounds). Four men and seven women were detained and turned over to federal prosecutors.
According to images released by authorities, the 165 kilos were packed into black and red blocks. The arrests took place in the airport’s immediate vicinity. Security sources told Mexican outlets that the bust ranks as one of the largest cocaine seizures at a Mexican airport this year.
Second Major Airport Bust in Two Months
The seizure follows another interception at the same airport in June, when authorities detained two people carrying approximately 52 kilograms of cocaine on a flight from Tapachula, Chiapas. That case is already being prosecuted. Together, the two operations account for more than 217 kilos of cocaine intercepted at the Tijuana airport in under two months.
Tijuana’s airport is one of Mexico’s busiest, serving both domestic and international routes. It offers direct flights to Shenzhen and Beijing, China, and connects to San Diego via the Cross Border Xpress (CBX) pedestrian bridge. The Tijuana to Guadalajara corridor is one of the most heavily traveled domestic routes in the country.
Charges Pending
Formal charges against the 11 detained passengers have not yet been filed. The FGR’s investigation continues, and authorities have not released the identities of those arrested. Federal agencies have said they are intensifying luggage inspections at airports near the U.S. border to curb narcotics trafficking.
The story was first reported by Gringo Gazette North and confirmed by Latinus, La Jornada, and El Diario.