MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) – Mexico announced Monday the seizure of 200 kilos (440 pounds) of methamphetamine in a cartel heartland, as it comes under mounting pressure from US President Donald Trump to tackle drug trafficking.

The discovery was made during a weekend operation to dismantle illegal drug laboratories in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, a government statement said.

The value of the drugs seized was nearly $40 million, it said, adding that more than 12,000 liters (3,170 gallons) of chemical precursors used to make methamphetamine were also confiscated.

The Latin American nation has announced a series of major drug discoveries in recent weeks in an apparent attempt to highlight increased efforts to combat drug smuggling.

Trump has cited illegal flows of the deadly opioid fentanyl as one of the reasons for a threatened 25-percent tariff on Mexican goods.

He put the trade levies on hold for a month, until early March, after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to deploy 10,000 more soldiers to the countries’ shared border to tackle smuggling.

Since February 5, when the deployment began, Mexican authorities have seized 4.9 tons of methamphetamine, 453 kilos of cocaine, 55 kilos of fentanyl and 489 firearms, the government said.