1.2 Tons of Cocaine on a Boat 366 Nautical Miles Off Huatulco, Oaxaca: Mexico’s Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard Detain 6, Five of Them Foreigners
Mexico’s Navy (Semar), working with the U.S. Coast Guard, intercepted a boat carrying about 1,268 kilograms of suspected cocaine, roughly 1.2 tons, in the Pacific about 366 nautical miles south of Huatulco, Oaxaca, and detained six people, five of them foreign nationals. Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch announced the seizure on X on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. AFmedios and adn40 reported the Navy’s details the same day.
What the Navy says was seized
According to the Navy, as reported by AFmedios, surface and air units on patrol found 46 packages of the suspected drug aboard the vessel. The Navy says the six detainees were read their rights. The boat and the seized goods were taken to Puerto Chiapas and held by the 22nd Naval Zone. They will then be handed to the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), Mexico’s federal prosecutor, which will set the official weight.
The Navy estimated the loss to criminal groups at about 289.1 million pesos. It said the seizure kept about 2.5 million doses off the street.
What is still unknown
Infobae reported that officials did not say when the operation took place or who the detainees are. AFmedios said five of the six are foreign nationals but gave no nationalities. No cartel or destination for the drug has been named. adn40 reported that U.S. authorities had not commented on the joint operation as of Monday. The detainees have not been charged in any public court record we could find and are presumed innocent.
A record year at sea
Harfuch said the Navy has seized more than 90 tons of cocaine at sea under President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office in October 2024. Infobae, citing Excélsior, reported that the Navy had seized 37,855 kilos in maritime operations by Sept. 10, 2026. That is already 47% more than in all of 2025. Earlier this year, crews made similar interceptions far off Guerrero and Michoacán.
Harfuch’s post, with Navy video of the interception and the unloading:
https://x.com/OHarfuch/status/2109715113385328944
Sources
- AFmedios, “Marina asegura más de 1.2 toneladas de presunta cocaína frente a costas de Oaxaca,” Oct. 12, 2026
- Infobae (Andrés García S.), “Semar y Guardia Costera de EEUU aseguran 1.2 toneladas de cocaína frente a Oaxaca, hay seis detenidos,” Oct. 12, 2026
- adn40 (Ximena Ochoa), “Aseguran toneladas de cocaína frente a costas de Oaxaca; detienen a 6…”, Oct. 12, 2026
- Omar García Harfuch, post on X, Oct. 12, 2026
- Photos: Secretaría de Marina / SSPC / FGR, via Infobae and AFmedios
Reported Oct. 12, 2026, from the sources above. The weight is the Navy’s estimate until the FGR confirms it. The Narco Blog did not independently confirm the U.S. Coast Guard’s role, which Mexican officials described.