Guns decorated with gold, diamonds seized in Mexico raid on suspected drug gang den

Guns with gold, diamonds seized in Mexico

MEXICO CITY — Mexican soldiers have seized an arsenal of gold-plated, diamond-encrusted weapons believed to belong to the Valencia gang, allies of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel, prosecutors said Monday.

Photos of the weapons show that most of the 31 pistols found in a raid on a home in western Mexico had gold or silver-plated grips or glittered with diamonds — apparently flamboyant examples of the sort of gaudily customized weapons favored by some drug gangsters.

Three of the assault rifles are almost entirely gold-plated.

Identification documents were found at the home on the outskirts of the western city of Guadalajara in the name of Oscar Nava Valencia.

The Attorney General’s Office said he is a leader of the Valencia gang who has worked with Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

And on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, the Mexican navy announced a big drug haul: It said a Mexican fishing boat and its five-member crew had been captured while transporting nearly 5,300 pounds (2,400 kilograms) of cocaine.

The 78-foot (24-meter) boat was detained on April 27 in international waters, based on information form U.S. officials. Authorities found 105 bales of cocaine in hidden compartments in the boat’s fuel tanks.

The boat presumably picked up the drugs in Colombia.

On Sunday, police said they captured a man believed to be the leader of the Zetas drug gang in the southern state of Chiapas.

Prosecutors in neighboring Tabasco state said suspect Pablo Martinez Rojas was detained near the border with Chiapas, along with four alleged accomplices.

They said the suspects carried out killings and kidnappings for the Zetas, a gang founded by army deserters.

Three assault rifles and pistols were found in the men’s possession.

Drug trafficking is considered a federal crime, but the Tabasco state authorities said the detentions show that state authorities are increasingly playing a role in combating drug gangs.