MEXICO CITY, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Personnel from the Mexican navy seized a boat carrying a shipment of 1.3 tons of cocaine off the Pacific coast in the state of Michoacan, it was announced on Wednesday.

The Ministry of the Navy and Army indicated that soldiers arrested six Mexican nationals and two Ecuadorians during the operation on Tuesday, 166 kilometers southwest of the port of Lazaro Cardenas.

A military plane buzzed the craft and gave the alert for a helicopter and a navy interceptor to converge on the vessel to secure its cargo, said the statement.

"Navy personnel executed a vertical insertion, from the helicopter, aiming to seize the vessel and therefore prevent its presumed criminal action," it read.

The cargo of cocaine, which was packed in 32 containers, is one of the largest hauls captured by the Mexican army in 2018 so far.

Mexico has increased patrols in the Pacific in recent months to fight the smuggling of cocaine, after it was reported that cartels had increased shipments of the drug from Central and South America.

The boats usually abandon the drugs out at sea with tracking devices for acolytes to later recover them and take it to shore, the ministry said.