Cocaine shipments seized in Colombia and Spain as drug busts net dozens of arrests
Police operations across Latin America and Europe have seized large quantities of cocaine and other narcotics while arresting dozens of suspected traffickers.
In Colombia, the National Police’s traffic and transport unit intercepted a tractor‑trailer on the Mediacanoa–La Virginia route and uncovered about 2,500 kg of cocaine hidden in compressed‑gas cylinders, valued at roughly 13.9 billion Colombian pesos. The driver was detained and handed over to the prosecutor’s office.
Spain’s Guardia Civil has carried out several high‑profile busts: in Valencia, authorities reopened the “Operation Spider” case and detained two alleged gang leaders linked to an additional 348 kg of cocaine; in Salamanca, a provincial raid seized more than 12 kg of cocaine and two firearms; and at Melilla airport, officials stopped a passenger attempting to smuggle 98 hashish “nuts” weighing 1 kg.
Other successful drug raids include Argentina’s Federal Police dismantling a street‑level drug kiosk in Buenos Aires and seizing several kilos of cocaine and marijuana, Paraguay’s anti‑narcotics unit breaking up a criminal cell that stored 21 kg of base‑cocaine in a warehouse, and Dominican Republic agents arresting 68 people and confiscating over 14 kg of various drugs in La Altagracia, La Romana and El Seibo. In Mexico’s La Romana region, authorities detained two individuals and seized hundreds of doses of marijuana and crystal meth. An Ecuadorian patrol in Quito arrested a teenager found carrying small bags of unknown substances.
These coordinated actions illustrate a sustained regional effort to disrupt narcotics trafficking networks and recover multi‑tonne drug shipments.