Largest amount of cocaine seized during Naval Operation Orion in Colombia

Bogota-Sana

The Colombian Navy announced that military and police authorities from more than 40 countries across Europe and the Americas seized 145.3 tons of cocaine in the eighth phase of the multinational Naval Operation Orion to combat drug smuggling.

Reuters quoted the Colombian Navy as saying in a statement that this number represents the largest amount of cocaine seized during the operation so far, explaining that about 575 people of different nationalities were arrested during the campaign that lasted between October and the second, in addition to the seizure of 49 ships, in addition to six submarines and three Planes.

The statement indicated that 66 tons of marijuana were also seized during the operation, noting that since the launch of Operation Orion in 2018, the joint operation had seized more than 545 tons of cocaine and 244 tons of marijuana.

Despite fighting drug trafficking for decades, Colombia is still a major global cocaine producer and faces constant pressure to limit production of the coca crop, the main ingredient in the drug, as well as cocaine production.