Mexican marines working customs duty say they found a shipping container loaded with 7200 bottles of a clear liquid labeled mezcal but that actually contained liquid methamphetamine.
The massive meth shipment was found on a Liberian-flagged vessel at the Pacific coast port of Manzanillo. The container was destined for Australia, according to shipping documents.
The marines said the shipment contained about 8.6 tonnes of liquid meth, though the dry weight of the drugs would have been considerably less.
The bottles bore the Mezcal Social brand name and were marked as "artisanal mezcal," an alcoholic beverage made from distilled agave.
So far this year, Mexican marines have seized over 112 tonnes of meth nationwide.
It would not be the first time that Mexican cartels, which dominate the international trade in meth, have tried to smuggle the drugs to Australia or in liquid form.
In 2022, officials in Hong Kong seized about US$5.9 million ($8.73 million) worth of crystal meth concealed in a shipment of electrical transformers that was bound for Australia from Mexico.
Days later, they reported finding 1.8 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine stored in bottles labeled coconut water that arrived from Mexico by sea. The haul, estimated to be worth US$140 million ($207.1 million) was Hong Kong's largest meth seizure.
'Black Tot Day' sends Royal Navy into mourning
Sign up here to receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox.
