UNODC flags new cocaine routes as Brazil steps up drug and illegal‑mining crackdowns

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reports that Portugal has become a key point on a maritime cocaine route to Europe, with semi‑submersible vessels capable of carrying up to 10 tonnes being intercepted near the Azores and mainland Portugal. The report notes a shift from large northern European ports to smaller ports in France, Portugal and Spain and a seven‑fold increase in overall cocaine seizures between 2014 and 2023.

In Colombia, UNODC data show a 3.5 % rise in coca‑leaf cultivation in 2024, totaling about 261 000 ha. The Pacific region saw a 14 % increase, while other regions declined.

Brazilian authorities carried out a series of operations against drug trafficking and related crimes. In Mato Grosso do Sul, state fiscal agencies seized 2 225 ampoules of unregistered weight‑loss medicines and 129 illegal vaping devices worth roughly R$ 1 million. The Vigia Mais MT program helped police capture two fugitives wanted for drug trafficking and organized crime in Sinop and Cuiabá. Federal Police’s Operation Mállku disrupted an aerial cocaine smuggling network from Bolivia, targeting aircraft in several states. Police in Cáceres, Rondonópolis and other municipalities arrested multiple suspects and confiscated cocaine‑like substances and cash.

Environmental law‑enforcement actions also intensified. Federal Police and Ibama’s Operation Iracema destroyed 29 dragas, boats and engines used in illegal gold mining on the Rio Madeira, while a separate operation in Minas Gerais seized 300 g of gold, destroyed 22 dragas and arrested five people. These coordinated efforts underline a broader push to combat narcotics trafficking and illegal mining across the region.