Spanish and Ecuadorian authorities seized 5 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a cargo vessel at Santa Elena, Ecuador, and bound to Spain via Panama. The haul is estimated at $250m and is considered as one of the largest cocaine seizures to date. Twenty individuals were arrested on charges of drug trafficking.
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…
Venezuela’s capital Caracas has been ranked by the Citizen’s Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice (CCSPJP) as the world’s deadliest city for a second year in a row, with a homicide rate of 130 per 100.000 inhabitants. The city is notorious for its high rates of street and organised crime, becoming a major drug…
According to the latest International Narcotics Control Strategy Report on Drug and Chemical Control, released by the U.S. State Department, a list of five Caribbean nations has been sent to the U.S. Congress by US President Trump, naming ‘major illicit drug producing and/or drug-transit countries.’ This includes the Bahamas, Haiti, Belize, the Dominican Republic and…
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…
