Cocaine Seizures Across Latin America Total Over 3 Tonnes in July 2026
On 2 July 2026 Ecuadorian police seized 1.08 tonnes of cocaine concealed in a banana shipment bound for England at Puerto Bolívar, El Oro, arresting the truck driver and detaining the vehicle. The operation was part of the police’s 3D strategy to disrupt trafficking routes.
Mexico’s navy (Semar) intercepted about 1.2 tonnes of cocaine in two separate actions off the coast of Chiapas, detaining eight people and estimating a loss of roughly 263 million pesos to criminal groups, equivalent to 15 million USD and preventing the distribution of about 2.4 million doses.
At Cancún International Airport, federal agents uncovered 12.38 kg of cocaine hidden inside a wheelchair used by a passenger arriving from Medellín, Colombia, leading to the arrest of the traveler.
The Nicaraguan army reported the capture of 132 cocaine packages during an operation near Mechapa, Chinandega.
Colombian forces announced multiple blows to narcotics production: the air force disabled seven drug‑processing sites in Tumaco, and the army, together with CONAT and international partners, seized more than 32 500 gallons of cocaine (about 1 800 kg) and destroyed underground processing pools in Nariño.
In Argentina, police in Mendoza uncovered 188 swallowed cocaine capsules totaling 2.46 kg, indicating a shift in the “capsulero” smuggling method.