Mexico seizes more than 1,300 pounds of cocaine at sea

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s navy says it has seized more than 1,300 pounds (630 kilograms) of cocaine from a speedboat off the country’s Pacific coast.

A high-speed pursuit using a navy Black Hawk helicopter eventually stopped the boat that sported four powerful outboard motors.

The navy said in a statement Wednesday that sailors roped down from the hovering helicopter to the boat and detained 15 crew members off the coast of Sinaloa state. Eight of those detained were from Ecuador, four were Colombian and three were Mexican.

The seizure occurred on Monday. Cocaine is commonly moved by sea from South America to landing points in Central America and Mexico. From there it moves overland to the United States.