# 2026 Global drug, migration & trafficking crackdown

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/cocaine-trafficking-interdictions-in-latin-america
> Updated: 2026-07-30T11:48:18.000Z. Sources: 66. Developments: 10.

Mid‑June seizures in Venezuela and July interdictions by Guyana, Ecuador, Peru and Sri Lanka kept regional drug and contraband flows under pressure. Ecuador’s anti‑kidnapping operation freed hostages and arrested members of Los Choneros and the R7 Mafia, while joint river and maritime patrols with the United States continued in the Pacific corridor. Authorities also broadened actions to target migration and human‑trafficking networks. On 15 July, Mexican Secretary of Public Security Gilberto Loya Chávez chaired the inaugural Border Violence Protocol meeting at Torre Centinela, showcasing a technology‑driven rapid‑response approach. Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission confirmed an intelligence‑led bust of five million tramadol tablets at Kotoka International Airport, valued at roughly GH¢100 million (≈US$9.6 million) and linked to three suspects, highlighting a West‑African trafficking network. In Sri Lanka, customs detained a foreign woman with cocaine worth about Rs 10 million; Kuwait’s customs seized 104 marijuana pieces hidden in Thai dates, arresting a Sri Lankan national. Guyana’s Customs Anti‑Narcotics Unit reported record‑breaking seizures for the first half of 2026—519.49 kg of drugs, 35 firearms and 699 rounds of ammunition, a 272 % rise over 2025. Coordinated busts across the Indian Ocean continued into late July, including arrests in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Thiruvananthapuram.

Later in July, U.S. Coast Guard assets partnered with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force to interdict two vessels near the Bahamas. On 25 July, cutter Charles Sexton seized about 1,080 kg of marijuana valued at US$2.8 million and transferred three suspects to Bahamian authorities. Two days later, a joint OPBAT‑Royal Bahamas operation stopped a sailing vessel near Norman’s Cay, finding 54 Haitian nationals, 21 lb of marijuana and 26 lb of cocaine, arresting four Haitians and turning the remaining migrants over to immigration.

## Timeline

### 2026-07-30: U.S. Coast Guard seizes $2.8 million of marijuana near the Bahamas

U.S. Coast Guard cutters seized $2.8 million worth of marijuana near the Bahamas, handing suspects to Bahamian authorities, while a junior officer’s negotiation on watch duties highlighted leadership training.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-coast-guard-seizes-28-million-of-marijuana-near-the-bahamas

### 2026-07-28: Bahamas drug interdictions seize multi‑million‑dollar marijuana and cocaine shipments

US Coast Guard and Bahamian forces seized $2.8 million worth of marijuana near Great Inagua (25 July) and later intercepted a vessel near Norman’s Cay, confiscating marijuana, cocaine and detaining 54 Haitian.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/bahamas-maritime-operation-seizes-multimilliondollar-drug-shipments

### 2026-07-23: India, Nepal and Sri Lanka see wave of drug arrests

Drug seizures hit Nepal, Sri Lanka and India: Indian women caught with marijuana in Kathmandu, a Spanish man with cocaine in Colombo, and a youth arrested with MDMA in Thiruvananthapuram.

10 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/bangkokorigin-drug-seizures-at-nepal-and-delhi-airports

### 2026-07-19: Guyana's Customs Anti‑Narcotics Unit records historic drug seizure totals

Guyana's CANU seized 519 kg of drugs, 35 guns and 699 ammo in early 2026—a 272% rise year‑on‑year—crediting officers, the public and partner agencies for the record haul.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/guyanas-customs-antinarcotics-unit-records-historic-drug-seizure-totals

### 2026-07-17: Ghana Seizes 5 Million Tramadol Tablets at Kotoka Airport in Major Drug Bust

Ghana seized 5 million tramadol tablets at Kotoka Airport, Sri Lanka arrested a woman with Rs 10 million worth of cocaine at Bandaranaike Airport, and Kuwait stopped marijuana hidden in dates from Thailand, all

10 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ghana-and-sri-lanka-seize-major-drug-shipments-at-international-airports

### 2026-07-15: Gilberto Loya leads first border‑violence protocol meeting at Mexico’s Torre Centinela

Gilberto Loya chaired the first Border Violence Protocol meeting at Torre Centinela, bringing Mexican and U.S. officials together to review security results and strengthen binational cooperation.

29 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ecuador-seizes-1950-cartridges-arrests-peruvian-suspect-and-conducts-usecuador-joint-patrols

### 2026-07-03: Peruvian drug shipments intercepted in Piura and at Ecuador's Huaquillas border

Peruvian police arrested three suspects in a Piura marijuana bust, while Ecuador seized 350 ketamine bottles hidden in two Peruvian trucks at Huaquillas, underscoring cross‑border drug trafficking.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/peruvian-drug-shipments-intercepted-in-piura-and-at-ecuadors-huaquillas-border

### 2026-07-02: Guyana and Sri Lanka Record Major Drug Seizures in 2026

Guyana’s customs seized 250 kg of cocaine and 1,400 kg of marijuana and aided a West‑Africa cocaine interception; Sri Lanka’s navy seized 935,000 illegal pharma capsules off Kalpitiya.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/guyana-and-sri-lanka-record-major-drug-seizures-in-2026

### 2026-06-16: Venezuelan military seizes 20 cocaine packages at Apure border

Venezuelan National Guard seized 20 cocaine packages (≈10.6 kg) from two motorcyclists at the Apure border with Colombia, alongside related drug busts in Zulia and Táchira.

5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/venezuelan-military-seizes-20-cocaine-packages-at-apure-border

### 2026-06-05: Large drug seizures in Guatemala and Ecuador involve dozens of cocaine packages and 1.5 tons of substances

Guatemalan police uncovered 72 suspected cocaine packages in an abandoned truck in Retalhuleu, while Ecuadorian forces seized over 1.5 tons of illicit drugs worth $4 million near the Colombia border, detaining

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/authorities-seize-cocaine-shipments-in-guatemala-and-ecuador

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Cite as: 2026 Global drug, migration & trafficking crackdown. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/cocaine-trafficking-interdictions-in-latin-america
