Colombia: Colombian authorities have confiscated 14 tonnes of cocaine at the southwestern port of Buenaventura, marking the largest seizure by the Colombian police in the past decade.
The operation, hailed by the Ministry of Defence as a ‘historic blow’ to drug traffickers, involved the discovery of dozens of 50-kilogramme (110-pound) sacks of cocaine camouflaged with plaster, reportedly destined for the Netherlands.
President Gustavo Petro confirmed the seizure on X, sharing a video of officers and canines raiding the warehouse and emphasising that the operation was carried out ‘without a single death.’ The ministry estimated that the bust prevented the circulation of 35 million doses of cocaine and inflicted financial losses exceeding $388.9 million on criminal networks.
Este es el cuadro oficial de incautaciónes hechas independientemente del lugar con inteligencia naval y certificadas, tiene comparativo con cultivos de hoja de Coca, a través de mapas satelitales y con fecha al 2025. https://t.co/Oz7MU93aIr pic.twitter.com/4p98hubp5l
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) November 22, 2025
The record seizure comes with growing tensions between Colombia and the administration of US President Donald Trump, which has criticised Petro’s anti-drug policies as inadequate. In October, the US Department of the Treasury sanctioned Petro, his family, and Colombian Interior Minister Armando Alberto Benedetti over alleged involvement in the global drug trade. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Petro of allowing cartels to flourish and claimed cocaine production in Colombia had surged to the highest rate in decades.
In response, Petro publicly released his bank records through Colombia’s Financial Information and Analysis Unit, asserting he has no ties to drug trafficking and questioning the credibility of Trump-era accusations. Petro has also condemned US military operations targeting suspected trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific as extrajudicial executions, contrasting Washington’s portrayal of these actions as anti-drug measures.
Bolivia invites DEA back after 17 year absence
As Colombia faces international scrutiny, Bolivia is signalling a new approach under its conservative government. President Rodrigo Paz, who took office on November 8, has appointed Ernesto Justiniano as the country’s new narcotics chief. Justiniano confirmed to AFP that the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), expelled in 2008 during the socialist rule of Evo Morales, will be invited back to assist Bolivia’s anti-cocaine efforts.
The administration of the centre-right Christian Democratic Party aims to pivot Bolivia toward more pragmatic political, economic, social, and diplomatic policies after two decades of socialist governance.
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