Guinea-Bissau’s police force successfully seized 2.63 tons of cocaine aboard an aircraft that had arrived from Venezuela, according to the judicial police. The drugs, packed into 78 bales, were discovered on a Gulfstream IV jet during a Saturday afternoon raid at Osvaldo Vieira International Airport in Bissau.
The entire crew of five, including the pilot, was taken into custody. Among those arrested were two Mexican nationals, along with citizens from Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil. All five are expected to be brought before a regional court on Monday for interrogation regarding their involvement in the smuggling operation.
The raid, dubbed “Operation Landing,” was conducted with the cooperation of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maritime Analysis and Operations Center-Narcotics. This operation highlights the ongoing issue of West African countries being used as key transit points for the trafficking of cocaine from South America to Europe. The recent seizure stands out as one of the largest recorded in recent years.
Cocaine continues to be one of the most widely consumed illegal substances in the world, with an estimated 23 million users, according to the 2024 U.N. World Drug Report.
