MEXICO CITY, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Mexican naval officers seized 490 kg of cocaine after pursuing and intercepting a small aircraft in the southeastern state of Chiapas, authorities said Friday.
The operation was carried out on Thursday in the coastal municipality of Mapastepec after a suspicious flight was detected, Mexico's Ministry of the Navy said in a statement.
The aircraft was carrying the cocaine in 18 orange-colored packages, which were confiscated and placed at the disposal of the Federal Public Ministry.
Mexican security agencies have said before that drug cartels use illegal flights to smuggle drugs from South America to the United States.
The Mexican Air Force and the Navy have been monitoring illegal or suspicious flights for years in various regions of the country, according to the authorities.
