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14 Tonnes of Cocaine Seized at Buenaventura Port, Hidden in Gypsum

Officials frame the bust as a major blow to trafficking finances under intensifying U.S. scrutiny of Colombia’s drug policy.

Overview

  • The cocaine was concealed within gypsum bales inside shipping containers at the Pacific port and was bound for the Netherlands, police said.
  • Trained narcotics dogs flagged the containers, leading to the discovery of 14 tonnes, which authorities described as the largest seizure in more than a decade.
  • The National Police estimate the haul would have yielded 35 million doses with an illicit value of about $388.9 million.
  • President Gustavo Petro emphasized that the operation resulted in no deaths, and investigators have not identified the criminal group behind the shipment.
  • The announcement follows a year of record interdictions and the U.S. decision in September to decertify Colombia’s drug-control efforts and sanction Petro and relatives.