Mexico’s navy made a historic drug bust on Friday, seizing 8.4 tonnes of illicit drugs worth more than 2 billion pesos (approximately $100 million USD) in a maritime operation off the Pacific coast near Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan. This represents the largest drug seizure in Mexico’s naval history, a significant victory in the country’s ongoing battle against drug trafficking. Authorities also arrested 23 people and confiscated six boats, including one submersible, underscoring the complexity of the operation. Additionally, 8,700 liters of fuel were seized.

Michoacan, where the operation took place, is a region controlled by the violent Jalisco Nueva Generacion cartel. The drug trade has fueled widespread violence in Mexico, where turf wars between cartels frequently erupt. Since 2006, over 450,000 people have been killed in the country’s struggle against organized crime.

Although Friday’s bust was a substantial blow to traffickers, the largest drug seizure in Mexico remains a 2007 operation in which authorities captured 23 tonnes of Colombian cocaine.