Colombian authorities, along with international partners, seized 225 tons of cocaine this week, marking the largest haul ever recorded in a single anti-narcotics operation. The effort, known as Operation Orion, involved 62 countries and resulted in the interception of six semi-submersible vessels, one of which was on a new drug trafficking route to Australia.
The operation confiscated a total of 1,400 tons of illegal drugs. More than 400 people were arrested, and illegal arms shipments and migrant trafficking operations were also disrupted. The cocaine seizure is a significant blow to the global narcotics trade, considering yearly production is estimated at 2,700 tons. This means over 8% of 2024's production was seized in a single operation.
