Mexican Troops Seize $15 Million from Drug Cartel

Mexico's army said on Tuesday it seized about $15 million dollars from the Sinaloa cartel run by Mexico's most wanted man Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman.

The money was seized during a military raid in the city of Tijuana in Baja California state on Friday. 

It is the second largest money confiscation by troops during Mexican President Felipe Calderon's time in office. 

An army spokesperson says the cash was found inside a vehicle. 

No arrests were made.

[Ricardo Trevilla, Army Spokesperson]:             

"After raiding several buildings in the middle of Tijuana, troops seized a vehicle with 15 million 350 thousand dollars, as well as three packages of cocaine weighing three kilograms, two rifles, two guns and diverse jewellery."

Trevilla said no shots were fired during the operations.

Raging drug violence has claimed more than 40,000 lives since Mexican President Felipe Calderon took office nearly five years ago and sent troops to crush the powerful cartels.

Despite vicious infighting among Sinaloa cartel factions and some prominent cartel arrests, Guzman remains at large.

Guzman is blamed for thousands of deaths in the drug war and runs trafficking empires that smuggle tons of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico and then on to drug users in the U.S.

Guzman is believed to be in the Sierra Madre mountains of northwest Mexico, where the cartel is based.