Colombia seizes 7.6 tonnes of Netherlands-bound cocaine at Cartagena port

Two Dutch nationals wanted by prosecutors in the Netherlands were arrested in Colombia, where authorities also seized 7.6 tonnes of cocaine destined for the Netherlands. Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced this significant drug bust, marking the largest seizure at the Cartagena port in a decade. The cocaine was concealed in powdered panela and discovered during a coordinated operation with the US DEA. In the first 75 days of his administration, de la Espriella reported that security forces confiscated 132 tonnes of cocaine valued at approximately $6.1 billion. The Dutch Public Prosecution Service confirmed the arrests but did not connect them to the drug seizure. The EU Drugs Agency reported a decrease in cocaine seizures in the EU from 419 tonnes in 2023 to 330 tonnes in 2024.