Brazil seizes up to 50 tonnes of cocaine in largest-ever drug bust

Brazil's Federal Revenue agency intercepted a massive cocaine shipment hidden in timber cargo at the Brazil‑Bolivia border on 21 June. Eight trucks carrying about 260 tonnes of wood were stopped in Corumbá (Mato Grosso do Sul) and Cáceres (Mato Grosso). Preliminary analysis suggests that 10‑20 % of the load is cocaine, giving a potential seizure of 20‑50 tonnes – a volume that could exceed the 44.7 tonnes seized across the country from January to May 2024.

The operation, dubbed "Timber Shield," was carried out in cooperation with U.S. authorities and Bolivia’s customs service. U.S. agencies linked the seized cargo to other recent interceptions of Bolivian‑origin shipments detained in Chile. The Brazilian Finance Minister, Dario Durigan, said the haul would be the largest in Brazil’s history and among the biggest worldwide, underscoring the state’s strong response to sophisticated drug‑trafficking networks.

The seizure surpasses previous Brazilian records, which were largely made at ports such as Santos and Rio de Janeiro, where the ten largest historic seizures ranged from 1.6 to 4.3 tonnes each. Officials await forensic verification by the Federal Police before confirming the final cocaine quantity.