[REVISION HISTORY]

International cocaine seizure operations 2026

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-08-14 05:57 UTC → 2026-08-17 08:33 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In mid‑July 2026, Colombian naval forces, supported by a multinational task force including the United States, Costa Rica, and Panama, intercepted over 6,000 kg of cocaine and marijuana across the Caribbean and Pacific. Some Caribbean shipments bore marks linked to the Spanish port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, while a separate operation near Costa Rica seized 3,220 kg of marijuana and 175 kg of cocaine. Later that month, Liberian security forces conducted a major raid in Duazon, east of Monrovia, seizing an estimated $370 million worth of high‑purity cocaine. This was followed on 24 July by the seizure of an additional 3,971 kg of cocaine valued at approximately $317 million. Both incidents involved suspects holding Colombian, Spanish, and Serbian passports, including one individual with a Serbian diplomatic passport. These seizures, alongside a previous $19 million bust at Roberts International Airport, have highlighted West Africa’s role as a transit hub for shipments bound for Europe. Simultaneously, Italian financial police uncovered more than 800 kg of cocaine hidden in Ecuadorian banana shipments at the port of Vado Ligure. The presence of the Serbian flag on some parcels prompted investigations into a possible Balkan criminal dimension. By August 2026, the scale of these operations prompted Liberian President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to convene a high-level security meeting to address major cocaine seizures and emerging threats along the border with Guinea. Senator Amara Konneh characterized the situation as a “two-front war,” urging the government to combat both international cartels and internal corruption. ~~Amidst this~~ In response to the narcotics ~~crisis,~~ crisis and port vulnerabilities, President Boakai signed ~~legislation to decentralize control~~ two port autonomy bills into law, ending decades of ~~Liberia’s ports, dismantling~~ centralized control. The legislation establishes the National ~~Port Authority’s monopoly~~ Ports Regulatory Commission of Liberia to ~~establish autonomous boards~~ oversee standards and grants operational independence to ports in Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, and Harper. ~~Information Minister Jerolinmek M.~~

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