[REVISION HISTORY]

Cocaine trafficking route shifts to Europe

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

What changed

2026-08-20 14:42 UTC → 2026-08-20 22:26 UTC · added ~~removed~~

A DEA report indicates that United States military raids against suspected drug trafficking vessels, known as Southern Spear, have failed to reduce cocaine supply or impact market prices. Instead, traffickers are diversifying routes by using larger ships in coastal waters and increasing air transport from the Colombia-Venezuela border toward Guyana and Suriname. This shift has resulted in a surge of shipments toward Europe. Irish officials noted that Ireland has become a principal entry point, though naval monitoring capabilities remain limited. Traffickers are increasingly employing high-tech methods, including cryptocurrencies, the dark web, GPS spoofing, and unmanned vessels. In response to these shifting routes, law enforcement has conducted major interventions. A joint operation by Portuguese and Spanish authorities, titled Operation Eclipse/Hawara, successfully dismantled an international network importing cocaine from Latin America. This operation resulted in the seizure of approximately 3,350 kilograms of cocaine and the arrest of suspects involved in transferring drugs from mother ships in the Atlantic to the coasts of Portugal and Spain. During this operation, the Portuguese Polícia Judiciária and the Spanish Policía Nacional seized cocaine valued at over 70 million euros. Specific seizures included 1,530 kilograms found in a vehicle near Estremoz, Portugal, and approximately 1,700 kilograms at a storage facility, or ‘guardería’, in Torremolinos, Spain. An additional 200 kilograms were intercepted in Marbella. Three men have been placed in preventive detention as investigations continue.

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