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Video shows raid on hidden Mexican lab where officials seized over 5,000 pounds of meth

By
Kerry Breen
News Editor
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
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Kerry Breen

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Mexican naval personnel discovered a hidden drug laboratory in the country's Durango region and "neutralized" over 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine, officials said Wednesday, as the country continues to step up efforts to combat drug trafficking and cartels. 

Naval personnel also seized "thousands of liters and kilos of chemical precursors," Mexico's navy . Video of the raid shows naval personnel dressed in hazmat suits while inspecting containers. Other clips show dozens of containers throughout the illicit facility, and vessels filled with unknown substances. An outdoor area appears to contain tanks and other canisters. 

The navy said the infrastructure at the lab had been disabled to prevent reuse. The drugs and chemical precursors seized in the operation were worth more than $265 million, officials said. 

Mexican authorities regularly find and raid clandestine laboratories. Over just a few days in January, four laboratories were raided. In one, also in the Durango region, a land patrol found a huge stock of chemical precursors. In Sinaloa, the home of the notorious cartel that shares the region's name, authorities seized over 1,650 pounds of meth and another stockpile of precursors. More chemical precursors and laboratory equipment was found in Michoacán.   

Mexico has been wracked by violence in recent days after a military operation led to the death of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, or "El Mencho." The operation took place in the western state of Jalisco, which is known as the cartel's base. During a shoot-out, Oseguera Cervantes was injured. He died while being transported to Mexico City. 

According to a source briefed on the operation, the raid was the culmination of intensified U.S.-Mexico counter-cartel cooperation under Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, with intelligence sharing markedly expanded in recent months. The United States shared intelligence, but no American personnel were on the ground during the operation, the source said. 

The killing of the powerful drug lord triggered several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles, a cartel tactic commonly used to block military operations. Airlines briefly suspended operations in some areas. Citizens and tourists in some areas were told to shelter in place or stay home, and school was cancelled in several Mexican states on Monday. 

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the most powerful and fastest-growing criminal organizations in Mexico and began operating around 2009. Mike Vigil, former DEA Chief of International Operations, told CBS News that the military operation was "one of the most significant actions undertaken in the history of drug trafficking" and compared Oseguera Cervantes to Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. 

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