SHOTLIST:

BUENAVENTURA, COLOMBIA (NOVEMBER 21, 2025) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL)

1. SEIZED COCAINE PACKAGES ON DISPLAY / DOG SNIFFING COCAINE BAGS

2. BRIGADIER GENERAL WILLIAM RINCÓN SPEAKING TO THE MEDIA
SCRIPT

Colombia’s National Police on Friday announced the confiscation of 14 tons of cocaine hydrochloride at the port of Buenaventura, the country’s main Pacific hub. Authorities described the operation as part of a “total offensive” against drug trafficking under the Esmeralda Plus strategy.

According to the Antinarcotics Directorate, the shipment originated in northern Colombia and was bound for the Netherlands. The discovery was made after narcotics inspectors and a canine team profiled three cargo containers and identified one as contaminated. The cocaine had been concealed by mixing it with gypsum, a common technique used by trafficking networks in the region.

Police said the seizure dealt a significant financial blow to criminal groups, preventing the circulation of 35 million doses of cocaine and creating an estimated economic impact of USD 388.9 million.

So far this year, Buenaventura alone has seen 39.7 tons of cocaine confiscated — a 59% increase from 2024. Nationwide, Colombian authorities report 422 tons seized in 2025, marking the highest level of cocaine confiscation in the country’s history.

President Gustavo Petro highlighted the magnitude of the operation as the most significant in the past decade. He also used the moment to question Operation Southern Lance, a U.S.-led program intended to combat drug trafficking across Latin America. The initiative has destroyed more than twenty boats allegedly carrying narcotics in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, actions that, according to Colombian government sources, have resulted in more than 80 deaths.

The seizure comes amid ongoing debate over U.S. drug policy. On September 15, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump removed Colombia from the list of nations “fully cooperating” in the fight against drugs, claiming the country had “manifestly failed” to meet its international anti-narcotics obligations.

Colombian officials strongly rejected that assessment, noting that no previous government has seized more cocaine intended for the U.S. market than the current one, and arguing that the U.S. decision completely overlooks the unprecedented enforcement results achieved throughout 2025.

According to the latest UNODC report, Colombia remains the world’s largest cocaine producer, with 253,000 hectares of coca, nearly two-thirds of global cultivation.