Mexican inspectors find at least $5.4 million hidden in fertilizer shipment bound for Colombia

September 30th, 2009 US, Colombian, Mexican officials seize $41 millionWASHINGTON — U.S. and Colombian authorities seized $41 million in suspected drug money over the past two weeks — one of the largest seizures in the history of the countries' joint efforts, law enforcement officials said Monday.

September 17th, 2009 Dominican agents check dictionaries, find cocaineSANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Dominican authorities have intercepted packets presumed to be cocaine sewn in the lining of dictionaries. The shipment was left at a Dominican post office to be mailed to an address in Madrid.

September 11th, 2009 Mexico police find over $5 million cash in cargoMEXICO CITY — Mexican authorities say they have found at least $5 million hidden in a shipment of ammonium sulfate at a Pacific coast port, and are still counting the cash. Authorities earlier said the estimated amount was at least $5.4 million.

September 9th, 2009 Colombia seizes $11M cash from shipping containerBOGOTA — Colombian customs agents say they seized $11.3 million in cash from a shipping container in the nation's largest cargo port. National customs director Nestor Diaz says it is the most cash ever seized by police at a port in Colombia, which is a major source of cocaine trafficking.

September 8th, 2009 Ecuador police bust half-ton of processed cocaineQUITO, Ecuador — Police in Ecuador say they have seized a half-ton of processed cocaine disguised as a shipment of fertilizer. The nation's anti-drug chief, Col.

August 25th, 2009 Peru police seize cocaine sewn inside live turkeysLIMA, Peru — Peruvian police expecting to find a shipment of cocaine hidden in a crate holding two live turkeys were surprised to discover the drug surgically implanted inside the birds. Acting on a tip, officers stopped a Turismo Ejecutivo SRL bus outside the city of Tarapoto in the central jungle state of San Martin, officials said Monday.

August 25th, 2009 Argentine police discover 4 tons of ephedrineBUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Federal police on Monday uncovered four tons (4,200 kilograms) of ephedrine in oil drums and boxes to be sent to Mexico and the United States. The lead investigator called it the largest illegal shipment of the methamphetamine precursor ever seized in Argentina, worth millions.

August 17th, 2009 Mexico replaces customs staff, revamps bordersMEXICO CITY — Mexico has replaced all 700 of its customs inspectors with agents newly trained to detect contraband, from guns and drugs to TVs and other big-ticket appliances smuggled to avoid import duties. The shake-up — part of a broader effort to root out corruption and improve vigilance at Mexican ports with new technology — doubled the size of Mexico's customs inspection force.

July 2nd, 2009 At least 14 bodies found in Mexico mass graveMEXICO CITY — Police said Wednesday that they have uncovered a mass grave in central Mexico with the remains of 14 or 15 people believed to have been executed by the Zetas drug gang. The remains found in Guanajuato state were so badly burned that officials were not immediately able to identify the number of victims, and it may be difficult to identify the dead.

June 30th, 2009 Police find 5 bodies, severed head in MexicoMORELIA, Mexico — Mexican police on Tuesday found the remains of six people tortured and shot to death in a western state that is a focus of the government's war against drug cartels. In other bloodshed, the body of a slain Texas teenager was found in a violent northern border city, but authorities had not determined whether her killing was related to the drug trade.

June 17th, 2009 MEXICO CITY - The Mexican Navy says it has seized more than a tonne of cocaine hidden inside the carcasses of frozen sharks, BBC reported Wednesday. Armed officers found slabs of cocaine inside more than 20 sharks aboard a freight ship in the Gulf coast port of Progreso in Yucatan state.

June 16th, 2009 Guatemala seizes 9.9 million pseudoephedrine pillsGUATEMALA CITY — Guatemalan authorities confiscated nearly 10 million pseudoephedrine pills worth $33 million on Tuesday — the country's biggest seizure of the methamphetamine precursor, police said. The 9.9 million pills were seized from a shipping container at Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala's main port on the Pacific coast, said police spokesman Donald Gonzalez.

May 6th, 2009 Fearing swine flu, Haiti rejects Mexican aid shipPORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haitian officials rejected a Mexican aid ship carrying 77 tons of much-needed food aid because of "unfounded" swine flu fears, Mexico's ambassador said Wednesday. The Mexican navy ship El Huasteco was to arrive May 2 in Port-au-Prince carrying rice, fertilizer and emergency food kits to help the impoverished country respond to chronic hunger and devastating tropical storms.

April 1st, 2009 BOGOTA - The Colombian government is seeking a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India to boost commercial exchanges between the two countries, a media report said. The Colombia-India Chamber of Commerce has signed an agreement in early March, aimed at attracting Indian investment in the country, the daily La Republica quoted Jaime Mantilla, president of the Chamber, as saying Tuesday.

February 8th, 2009 BOGOTA - Nearly seven tonnes of cocaine were seized in Colombia from a truck that was apparently bound for a Mexican drug cartel. Two people were arrested, the police said.