Mexico Recovers Hijacked Cyanide

MEXICO CITY —  Authorities on Wednesday recovered most of nearly 10 tons of highly toxic sodium cyanide that had been hijacked from a truck in central Mexico nearly three weeks ago, easing security concerns in Mexico and the United States.

The truck was stolen with the cyanide in 96 drums on May 10 in Hidalgo state. Authorities found the abandoned vehicle and 20 of the drums about a week later along a highway in Zacatlan, about 120 miles southeast of Mexico City in the state of Puebla.

Many of the remaining drums were found Wednesday dumped in a ditch in a small town in Puebla, about 50 miles northeast of where the truck was stolen. The Mexican defense department said 70 drums had been found. But a spokesman for the Puebla state government said the number was 60.

The theft of the sodium cyanide had caused concern in Mexico City and Washington about a possible terrorism link. The chemical is used legally in silver mining in Mexico and is a key element in gas-chamber executions in the United States. The theft raised alarm because several men with suspected ties to the Al Qaeda terrorist network were arrested this year in Rome: They were carrying a cyanide-based substance and maps showing the U.S. Embassy and the city’s water supply system.

Officials said the search would continue for the drums that are still missing, containing white briquettes about the size and shape of a bar of soap. Police in the area have been conducting door-to-door searches of warehouses, along with land and air searches for the missing chemicals.

Felipe Flores Nunez, chief spokesman for Puebla state, said the drums appeared to have been dumped hastily into the ditch. Officials said all the drums were intact, but one witness told Associated Press that at least two of the drums had opened.

There were conflicting reports Wednesday about how the drums were found. The Mexican Defense Department said they were discovered by soldiers. Flores said they were found by a local man.