Colombian police have seized 7.6 tons of cocaine destined for the Netherlands at the port of Cartagena, President Abelardo de la Espriella announced on Tuesday.
"The National Police have just achieved the largest cocaine seizure in the port of Cartagena in the last 10 years," he wrote on X.
According to the Colombian National Police, the drugs were hidden among unrefined cane sugar, and were found by its anti-narcotics directorate in an operation coordinated with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
De la Espriella said security forces had seized 132 tons of cocaine, worth about $6.1 billion, in the first 75 days of his government.
"There is no ceasefire against narcoterrorism! Every dose we prevent from reaching the streets saves lives and every dollar we take from them weakens their criminal structures," he added.
The Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) confirmed that two Dutch nationals had been arrested in Colombia. According to the EU Drugs Agency, 330 tonnes of cocaine were seized in the EU in 2024, down from 419 tonnes in 2023.
