Drug abuse & traffic

Colombian Navy Seizes Record 225-Tons of Cocaine

Published NOV 28 2024

Story

Above: Colombian Navy seizes tons of cocaine from a semi-submersible carrying 1,885 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride in Narino, Colombia, on Nov. 12, 2023. Image credit: Colombian Navy/Contributor/Anadolu via Getty Images

The Facts

A six-week international anti-narcotics operation involving 62 countries resulted in the seizure of 1.4K metric tons of drugs, including 225 tons of cocaine, the Colombian Navy said Wednesday.
CBS News
Pamfleti
CNN
The operation intercepted six semi-submersible vessels, with one that was discovered 2K kilometers southwest of Clipperton Island in the Pacific carrying five tons of cocaine bound for Australia.
CNN
EuroNews
The massive operation, codenamed "Orion," led to over 400 arrests and deprived drug cartels of approximately $8.5B in potential revenue. It also revealed new alliances between cartels from Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru with criminal groups from Europe and Oceania.
guardian
NDTV
Colombian authorities discovered a new trafficking route to Australia, where cocaine can sell for up to $240K per kilogram, approximately six times higher than US prices.
BBC News
The narco-submarines, typically constructed from fiberglass-covered wood, can travel up to 16K kilometers (around 9,942 miles) without refueling and operate at depths of up to three meters (9.8 feet) to evade detection.
WION
Firstpost
According to Bloomberg, Colombia's cocaine output surged to a record 1,738 tons in 2022 — nearly double the 972 tons it produced in 2021. Australians are reportedly the highest per capita users of cocaine in the world.
New York Post
BBC News

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

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PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

The unprecedented international cooperation has dealt a significant blow to drug trafficking organizations, preventing thousands of deaths from overdoses and disrupting cartel profits through sophisticated maritime interdiction strategies. This is a big win.

The Times (UK)

Narrative B

This bust reveals the evolving sophistication of drug trafficking operations, which, coupled with Colombia's record cocaine production and soaring global demand, indicates that cartels are adapting faster than law enforcement can respond, particularly with cocaine potentially overtaking oil as Colombia's main export.

Barrons