MEXICO CITY: The United States and Mexico seized several tonnes of cocaine from a ship in a “coordinated operation” in the Pacific Ocean, the Mexican navy said Wednesday.
The unusual joint action comes despite tensions between the two countries, with US President Donald Trump vowing to strike Mexican drug cartels that he said posed a grave threat to national security.
“About 188 packages containing several tonnes of cocaine” were seized from the vessel off Clarion Island, about 1,100 kilometers from the Mexican port city of Manzanillo in Colima state, the Mexican navy said in a statement.
Multiple people were arrested, the statement added, without specifying how many.
Trump has threatened to slap additional tariffs on Mexico to pressure the country into beefing up drug raids and cartel arrests.
A free trade agreement between the two neighbors and Canada is up for renegotiation this year.
The Trump administration said Wednesday that Mexican cartel drones around the US-Mexico border had forced a Texas airport to shut down temporary.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded that her government had received no reports of drones belonging to cartels along the border.
US, Mexico seize cocaine in ‘coordinated’ Pacific operation
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US, Mexico seize cocaine in ‘coordinated’ Pacific operation
- The unusual joint action comes despite tensions between the two countries
- US President Donald Trump vowed to strike Mexican drug cartels
UK starts visa requirements for St. Lucians
- Saint Lucia’s government said it was actively engaging with British government
- It said it would continue talks to “explore pathways for maintaining strong mobility arrangements“
CASTRIES: Britain has introduced a visa requirement for Saint Lucians effective from Thursday citing a “notable increase” in nationals from the small Caribbean nation claiming asylum, Saint Lucia’s government said in a statement.
Immigration is one of Britain’s most politically sensitive issues, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has sought to show it is tightening the system as the populist Reform UK party gains ground in opinion polls.
Saint Lucia, a former British colony, has a population of about 180,000. Last year, the World Bank estimated a net emigration of just 23 people.
Its government said it was actively engaging with British government and would continue talks to “explore pathways for maintaining strong mobility arrangements.”
It said it was informed in a letter dated Wednesday.
Saint Lucia is a member of the Commonwealth, an association of mostly former British colonies. Before the 1970s, nationals of many of these had the right to live and work in the UK. Saint Lucians previously needed a 16 pound Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to travel to the UK. \
There will be a six-week transition for ETA holders, its government said.
On Tuesday, Britain said it would block study visas for Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan and halt work visas for Afghans.
