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Shark Bellies Yield Smuggled Cocaine

Mexican cops seize a ton of coke from fearsome fish

By Mark Morales

| Wednesday, Jun 17, 2009 | Updated 10:00 AM EDT

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Sharks are drug cartels' the latest means of smuggling cocaine.

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Mexican authorities have taken a bite out of the drug cartels, busting smugglers that tried to sneak in cocaine inside frozen dead sharks.

The BBC reports that The Mexican Navy has seized more than a ton of cocaine sealed inside more than 20 sharks aboard a freight ship in the Gulf Coast port of Progreso in Yucatan state.

"Those in charge of the shipment said it was a conserving agent but after checks we confirmed it was cocaine," said Mexican Navy Commander Eduardo Villa.

X-ray machines and sniffer dogs are becoming essential in the fight against drug trafficking as cartels come up with increasingly creative ways of smuggling drugs into the U.S. Cocaine has been found inside sealed beer cans, religious statues and furniture.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has committed 45,000 troops and federal police to try and stop the country's drug cartels. Calderon has his work cut out for him. Not only does he have to worry about frozen sharks bringing in drugs, but the Washington Post reported that some cartels are building submarines to sneak cocaine in and out of Mexico.