AFP teams in Mexico

FEDERAL drug squads have beefed up their presence in Mexico as they attempt to cut off Australia’s flourishing cocaine trade at the source.

The move comes as cocaine seizures have reached the highest level in nine years, revealing links to Australian outlaw motorcycle gangs and west African organised crime.

Australian and international agencies have seized seven tonnes of cocaine destined for the local market through small craft ventures in the Pacific Ocean in the past 12 months.

The Australian Federal Police has set up an office in Mexico City to work with Mexican and Colombian agencies to combat the complex transnational drug trade.