Colombian navy seizes 27 tonnes of cocaine

Colombian naval forces seized 27 tons of cocaine from a number of ships in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, President Gustavo Petro said.

In his statement to X, he said that nine tons were seized from many ships in the Pacific, where forces from Australia, Panama, Costa Rica and El Salvador were also involved in the operation.

In a second operation supported by European police forces, 18 tonnes of cocaine were seized near Spain’s Canary Islands in the Atlantic off the coast of West Africa.

Petro, who described the action carried out over two days as “probably one of the largest seizures in history without a single death”, said that approximately 20 suspects were arrested in both operations.

This comes as the US military began targeting alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific in recent months. More than 80 people have died in the attacks so far.

Columbia, the world’s largest producer of cocaine, is home to more than 250,000 hectares devoted to growing the coca plant, according to the United Nations.

Drugs are smuggled from Colombia to the USA and Europe by ships.

The United States imposed sanctions on Petro on charges of non-compliance with international obligations to combat drug trafficking.