Tubs of spicy salsa being shipped through Mexico were found to have a surprise special ingredient; cocaine.
Authorities in Mexico said they have seized hundreds of tubs of salsa with packages of cocaine concealed inside them.
Footage released by marines in the Pacific state of Colima on Wednesday (July 13) showed officials cutting open the lids of the red salsa and pulling out bags of cocaine from the sauce.
According to officials, 217 salsa tubs, which weighed 60 kilos (132 pounds) each, were seized. Each tub contained a bag of cocaine, but officials have not revealed the total weight of the drugs confiscated.
The tubs of salsa originated in Ecuador and were marked with the final destination of Sinaloa state, the stamping ground of captured druglord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
Much of the cocaine in Mexico comes from South America, after which it is trafficked through to the United States where it can fetch millions of dollars in street value.
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016
