Colombia's National Police seized 7.6 tonnes of cocaine at Cartagena port, which President Abelardo De La Espriella called the largest seizure there in a decade.
The Colombian Presidency said the National Police's Anti-Narcotics Directorate detected cocaine mixed with powdered panela under the Esmeralda strategy. Its Oct. 16 statement confirmed the seizure but did not say where the shipment was headed.
In an Oct. 20 post on X, De La Espriella said the cocaine was destined for the Netherlands. The Presidency estimated the haul removed more than COP 42 billion from criminal finances and represented more than 19 million doses that would not reach the streets.
Separately, Dutch police said two Dutch men, ages 36 and 65, were arrested in Colombia at the Netherlands' request. The younger man was detained in Cali on Friday, Oct. 16, and the older man in Medellín on Monday, Oct. 19. Both are suspected of large-scale cocaine trafficking.
Police said intercepted messages point to years of activity shipping cocaine from South America into Europe. They allege the younger suspect helped load containers and sell cocaine, while the older man handled administrative arrangements for shipments used as cover. The investigation is continuing, and Dutch authorities have not decided whether to seek extradition. The Dutch announcement made no connection between the arrests and the Cartagena seizure.
Dutch police said six men had been arrested in Colombia since February across investigations led by the Dutch National Prosecutor's Office. The force also described cooperation with Colombian authorities against organized drug crime.
EU member states seized 330 tonnes of cocaine in 2024, down from 419 tonnes in 2023, while the number of recorded seizures rose to 97,000 from 95,000, the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) reported. The agency said shifting routes and trafficking methods may help explain the difference, rather than indicate that less cocaine was reaching Europe. Its report also described increasingly complex concealment methods.
