Colombia, Mexico seize two tons of cocaine

In joint operations, Colombian and Mexican authorities on Monday seized around two tons of cocaine disguised as printer toner.

The first batch of cocaine - amounting to more than 1 ton - was discovered in Bogota's El Dorado airport after a drug-sniffing dog discovered the narcotics labeled as an ingredient for printing cartridges.

"Forty-eight boxes contained a black power, registered as a chemical component used to load printer cartridges and photocopier toner," Colombian police said in a statement.

Following the discovery, Colombian police alerted Mexican authorities, who discovered a similar amount on a flight that left Bogota for Mexico City's international airport a few hours beforehand.

"None of the operations resulted in arrests, but Colombian police and their Mexican counterparts have indications of the two caches' owners: apparently the cargo would be received by member of the Sinaloa cartel and was sent by a drug trafficking networking rooted in Colombia's Atlantic coast," said a statement by the director of Colombian police, General Rodolfo Palomino.

Colombian authorities have seized more than 110 tons of cocaine this year. The Andean country produces approximately 300 tons of cocaine per year, making it one of the largest across the globe.

Drug trafficking networks routinely make use of Mexico's notorious drug cartels to deliver narcotics to American streets.

ls/jr (Reuters, AP, EFE)