Drug and contraband busts sweep Argentina, Bolivia, Gibraltar and beyond
Authorities in several countries intercepted large drug shipments and contraband in recent operations. In Salta, Argentina, Gendarmería Nacional captured a narco leader known as “El Tío” and seized a 443 kg cocaine load hidden in a tanker truck, along with $65,000 in cash and dozens of phones. Near Gibraltar, HM Customs seized 242 kg of cocaine concealed in the steering compartment of the merchant vessel M/V Sea Fighter.
In Bolivia’s Pisiga border post, the special anti‑narcotics force FELCN and its K9 unit “NAYGER” uncovered more than 1,600 bottles of liquid cocaine – over a tonne – destined for Luxembourg. Further north, Argentine gendarmes stopped a vehicle in La Quiaca and confiscated 106 kg of cocaine.
Customs and police also seized massive quantities of smuggled cigarettes. In the Dominican Republic, a truck at the Baní toll station was found carrying 1,579,400 cigarettes hidden beneath sweet‑potato leaves. In the Philippines, a joint operation in Carmen, Davao del Norte recovered cigarettes worth PHP 3 million.
A fire in Las Perlas, Argentina, exposed 2 kg of marijuana and two pistols, while Uruguay’s Paysandú customs seized goods valued at more than 2 million pesos, including vehicles and thousands of cigarettes.
Entities: Baní · Customs and Border Protection (Dominican Republic) · Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico (Bolivia) · Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico (FELCN) · Gendarmería Nacional (Argentina) · HM Customs Gibraltar · K9 unit “NAYGER” (Bolivia) · NAYGER · National Police of the Dominican Republic · Pisiga
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Philippine authorities seized cigarettes worth PHP 3 million in a joint operation in Carmen, Davao del Norte. (f6705d78-3b39-4f02-9206-2a4cdcfc8970)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A fire in Las Perlas, Argentina uncovered 2 kg of marijuana and two pistols during the investigation. (52c3c96f-0bfc-4305-8f10-2923f385686d)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Customs operations in Paysandú, Uruguay seized goods valued at over 2 million pesos, including vehicles and thousands of cigarettes. (d4880784-9f34-4762-ba73-07cdb3d54e9c)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Gendarmería Nacional intercepted a vehicle in La Quiaca, Argentina, and confiscated 106 kg of cocaine. (1fd7e24f-d2ed-4103-8392-43071501c1a1)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] HM Customs Gibraltar seized 242 kg of cocaine hidden in the steering compartment of the merchant vessel M/V Sea Fighter. (be2f1722-4401-4f65-a9ea-a75a24a7af25)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Bolivian anti‑narcotics force FELCN and its K9 unit “NAYGER” seized more than 1,600 bottles of liquid cocaine, over a tonne, bound for Luxembourg at the Pisiga border post. (a2a73a9e-26e6-4ce9-9e54-0d1cac9a0f93)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Dominican Republic authorities seized 1,579,400 contraband cigarettes camouflaged with sweet‑potato leaves at a toll station in Baní. (600e5c3a-3938-463a-bb77-d13959e027f9)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Gendarmería Nacional in Salta, Argentina captured a narco leader known as “El Tío” and seized 443 kg of cocaine, $65,000 in cash and dozens of phones. (4baed350-2031-40ff-adf3-7dcac0ddb643)