The government of Guatemala declared a state of emergency in the Ixchiguan and Tajumulco municipalities, at the border of Mexico, which have known a surge in drug-related violence, Guatemala being a transit hub for Mexican and South American drug cartels. Troops will be sent to the two cities to prevent criminal gangs from operating.
U.S. Coast Guard seized more than 1.700 kilos of cocaine with an estimated value of $56 million along the Central American coastline. The seizure was part of the international operation Martillo, launched in 2012 and which has so far intercepted about 700 metric tonnes of cocaine.
12.000 kilos of cocaine worth $400 million were seized, 14 vessels were intercepted and 40 suspected smugglers were arrested off the Pacific coast of South and Central America by U.S. Coast Guard. The seizure was part of a successful three-month counter-drug mission which involved multiple law enforcement and military agencies.
Colombian authorities arrested William Rafael Vargas Maestre in Armenia (Colombia), one of Spain’s most wanted suspects in drug trafficking, who had been on the run since February 2016. With the help of Spanish law enforcement, the Colombian drug trafficking ring led by Vargas was dismantled and led to the arrest of 24 suspects. Mauritius’ Prime…
German police seized more than 800 pounds of cocaine (380 kilograms) in Cologne, dissimulated in cases of bananas shipped from Ecuador. The haul represents the biggest seizure in the history of the city. 26 employees of American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and DHL, as well as airport cleaning services and restaurant workers have been arrested at…
Operation Lionfish III, an international police operation across Latin America and West Africa, conducted between 6 and 15 March, led to more than 350 arrests and seizure of 52 tonnes of illicit drugs. In addition to cannabis and heroin 25 tonnes of cocaine were seized estimated to be worth approximately USD 950 million.
Colombian police seized more than 6 tons of cocaine in the Caribbean port of Barranquilla bound for Spain. Colombian Defence Minister Luis Carlos Villegas confirmed that the shipment, worth €200 million, was carried out by several drug cartels, including El Clan del Golfo. The seizure represents the third largest cocaine seizure in the history of…
Spanish Police arrested 16 people on suspicion of forming a criminal organization and trafficking in arms and drugs. Allegedly, the ring traded weapons for drugs, such as marijuana, hashish and cocaine, that were later shipped to the Netherlands. Drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman appeared in a U.S. court after his extradition from Mexico and…
During the final congressional session of 2016, the government of Argentina submitted plans in order to modify the country’s anti-narcotics law. The reform – if approved – would increase penalties for the production, trafficking and supply of paco, the smokeable paste at intermediary stage in processing cocaine. The post-conflict minister of Colombia acknowledged that coca…
Guatemala registered the highest number of cocaine seizures in 2016 within the last ten years, according to the country’s anti-drug prosecutor. The majority of the drug was seized at the port San José, on the country’s Pacific coast, and at the port of Santo Tomás, on the Caribbean coast. Four policemen were arrested in Spain…
