Latin American police seize multi‑ton cocaine shipments in several raids
Police and customs authorities across Latin America carried out a series of drug‑seizure operations in early August 2026. In Ecuador, the National Police intercepted a trailer at the Chongón toll and seized about 600 kg of cocaine, arresting driver José Silvio Vera Gavilanes. In Argentina, customs agents at the Salto Grande bridge uncovered 15.95 kg of cocaine hidden in a Paraguayan truck bound for Uruguay, detaining driver Fernando Cardozo Saucedo. Spain saw two separate busts: Madrid’s Puente de Vallecas police seized 42.5 g of cocaine, €4,500 in cash and a stun‑gun, while a later operation in Sevilla dismantled a network that yielded eight kilograms of cocaine, €95,000 and several modified vehicles.
Other enforcement actions included the seizure of 43 crack stones, cocaine and 20,000 Cuban pesos in Havana; 83 boxes of contraband beer valued at Bs 19,000 in Oruro, Bolivia; 131 cartons of smuggled cigarettes and 57,860 Chilean pesos in a market in San Felipe, Chile; and merchandise from Bolivia worth more than S/165,000 seized in Tacna, Peru. These coordinated raids underscore a regional push against narcotics trafficking and broader contraband.
Entities: Aduana Nacional (Bolivia) · Departamento Federal de Investigaciones (DFI) · Dirección General de Aduanas (Argentina) · Dirección General de Aduanas de Argentina · Fernando Cardozo Saucedo · Fiscalía General de Morón · José Silvio Vera Gavilanes · Juzgado de Garantías N° 6 · Merlo · Policía Federal Argentina · Policía Fiscal (Peru) · Policía Nacional (Ecuador)
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Cuban police seized 43 crack stones, cocaine and 20,000 Cuban pesos in a drug bust in Havana. (2ec82975-0e5a-4ad4-9aec-8a19cdf43d98)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Peruvian customs seized merchandise from Bolivia valued at more than S/165,000 during raids in Tacna. (8f3dbc0a-4a24-4ee0-b597-33cf4f1236ff)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Ecuadorian police seized about 600 kg of cocaine at the Chongón toll and arrested driver José Silvio Vera Gavilanes. (05a3b6d9-d413-44e0-b0d0-2ef4c4f4eee8)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Bolivian customs seized 83 boxes of beer valued at Bs 19,000 as contraband in Oruro. (00808321-5c83-4ee3-b299-886bc08cba8b)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Spanish police in Puente de Vallecas seized 42.5 g of cocaine, €4,500 in cash and a stun‑gun during the 'Payaso' operation. (521df676-abdf-424d-804b-18dbb34121af)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Argentine customs seized 15.95 kg of cocaine hidden in a Paraguayan truck at the Salto Grande bridge and detained driver Fernando Cardozo Saucedo. (19e93bc7-a3cf-40ab-add8-bd346021ce02)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Chilean police seized 131 cartons of contraband cigarettes and 57,860 pesos in a market in San Felipe. (f8a52bec-1887-4339-85a0-5093ea88a136)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Spanish police in Sevilla dismantled a network that yielded eight kilograms of cocaine, €95,000 in cash and several modified vehicles. (ba8b932c-0b29-47ba-ab56-7d9fd9026b44)