Snatched! List of drug seizures around the world

By Gangsters Inc. Editors

We have tried. But we failed. The flow of drugs is enormous and it is impossible to maintain a comprehensive list. So, unfortunately, we have given up. This list will not be updated anymore.

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The flow of drugs continues unabated. Despite the War on Drugs and despite the hard work by honest law enforcement agencies, it is said that only 10 percent of the shipments of narcotics are intercepted by authorities. Gangsters Inc. tries to keep track of these seizures and lists (some of) them below.

List is updated periodically and only contains seizures of over 100 kilograms of narcotics. - Last update January 23, 2023

2023

January:

Puerto Rico: US Federal agents seized 1,000 kilograms of cocaine on January 23 off a speedboat trying to reach Puerto Rico.

Spain: Spanish police intercepted a cargo ship 80 miles east of the Canary Islands around January 19. 4,500 kilograms of cocaine were seized. The ship was also carrying a load of 200 tons of coffee.

Puerto Rico: US Federal agents seized 800 kilos of cocaine on January 15 in the waters off Puerto Rico.

The Netherlands: Dutch Customs seized 136 kilograms of cocaine on January 5 at Schiphol Airport. The load was found in containers shipped from Mexico. 9 kilos of meth were also found and seized.

The Netherlands: Dutch authorities discovered a ship from South America was carrying multiple containers with drugs. They found 350 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a load of bananas from Ecuador, 949 kilos of coke in a load from Chili, and 1,701 kilos of cocaine hidden in a shipment of shoes, also from Chili.

Belgium: Belgian Customs seized 1,250 kilos of cocaine in the port of Antwerp on January 3. The shipment was hidden in a container carrying tomato cans.

The Netherlands: Dutch authorities seized 540 kilograms of cocaine on January 1.

 

2022

December:

Caribbean: The Dutch Navy seized two shipments totaling 1,000 kilograms of cocaine and marijuana in the Caribbean in the final week of December. The drugs were transported via go-fast boats.

Belgium: Belgian authorities seized 2,444 kilograms of cocaine aboard containership MSC Lorena as December drew to a close. The ship was reported to Belgian authorities by an unknown tipster who claimed it was carrying a bomb. This caused intensive searches by authorities in Antwerp, Belgium, who eventually discovered the drugs when the ship arrived there.

The Netherlands: Dutch authorities seized a total of 1,121 kilograms of cocaine in a container from Brazil holding frozen fruit juice and a load from Ecuador holding bananas on December 27.

Ecuador: Police in Ecuador seized 2,300 kilograms of cocaine in the weekend of 24/25 December. The drugs were hidden in a container headed for France. It was hidden in a shipment of calsil, which is used in food.

Belgium: Belgium Customs seized 896 kilograms of cocaine on December 19 in the port of Antwerp. The coke was hidden in a load of bananas from Ecuador.

The Netherlands: Dutch Customs seized 1,003 kilos of cocaine on December 19 in the port of Rotterdam. They were hidden in a container filled with wood from Ecuador.

Belgium: Belgian Customs seized 4,800 kilos of cocaine at the port of Antwerp on December 14. The drugs were hidden in a container from Panama filled with bananas.

The Netherlands: Dutch Customs seized 1,279 kilos of cocaine at the port of Vlissingen on December 14. They were hidden in a load of bananas and originated from Ecuador. They arrived by way of Antwerp, Belgium.

United States: Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents interdicted a narcotics smuggling event leading to the third largest methamphetamine seizure, to date, in U.S. Border Patrol history. On December 8, Falfurrias Border Patrol Station agents at the Falfurrias Checkpoint inspected a tractor trailer and found 1,440 bottles filled with liquid methamphetamine instead of the everyday household cleaning solution as the labels indicated. The narcotics weighed more than 1,300 kilograms. 

United States: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility in San Diego found over $3 million worth of methamphetamine hidden in a shipment of carrots. On December 1, a 43-year-old truck driver applied for entry into the United States from Mexico. The driver, a valid border crossing card holder, was referred for further examination by CBP officers along with the tractor trailer, and shipment. At the inspection area a CBP human/narcotic detector dog screened the shipment and alerted CBP officers to the presence of narcotics within the pallets of carrots. During the inspection, CBP officers discovered and extracted a total of 628 packages concealed within the shipment of carrots. The narcotics were tested and identified as methamphetamine with a combined weight of approximately 650 kilograms.

Spain: Spanish police seized 5,592 kilos of cocaine in a container in the port of Valencia in the week of December 1. The drugs were hidden in a shipment of fruit.

November:

Sierra Leone: The French Navy and British police on November 30 seized 4,600 kilos of cocaine aboard a Brazilian ship traveling along the coast of Africa near Sierra Leone.

United States: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers assigned to the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge on November 28 referred a 34-year-old male Mexican citizen driving a 2005 International tractor hauling an empty trailer for secondary inspection. Following a canine and non-intrusive inspection system examination, CBP officers discovered a total of 414 kilograms of alleged methamphetamine within the tractor.

Puerto Rico: US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) agents on November 28 seized 901 kilos of cocaine from a vessel attempting to reach the coast of Guayama, Puerto Rico.

The Netherlands: Dutch Customs seized 300 kilos of cocaine at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on November 27. The shipment arrived from Mexico.

United States: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested multiple travelers on November 27 after intercepting two smuggling attempts of liquid methamphetamine concealed in recreational trailers. The first interception occurred on November 27, when a white Ford Excursion towing a trailer was selected for inspection by CBP officers working at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. Aboard the vehicle were four travelers, a 61-year-old female, a 61-year-old male, a 56-year-old male, and a 47-year-old female, who presented valid state IDs to officers. During the inspection, CBP officers noticed an unusual liquid within the trailer’s water tank. The liquid, identified as methamphetamine, was extracted into 22 five-gallon buckets. The total weight of the liquid methamphetamine was 333 kilos. The second smuggling attempt occurred later that same day at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. CBP officers selected a silver Ford Excursion towing a trailer for inspection after noticing tampering under certain areas of the trailer. The travelers in the vehicle, a 21-year-old male, a 22-year-old male, and an 18-year-old male, presented their valid state issued IDs as entry documents. A canine screened the vehicle and alerted near the liquid tank under the trailer.  CBP officers escorted the vehicle for examination. Further inspection of the trailer resulted in the discovery of 251 kilos of liquid methamphetamine. The liquid methamphetamine was stored in 16 sealed five-gallon buckets. 

Caribbean: The Dutch Navy and Curaçao Coast Guard seized 630 kilos of unknown narcotics on November 25.

The Pacific: A ship of the Navy of El Salvador seized 3,000 kilograms of cocaine smuggled in a semi-submersible vessel in the Pacific halfway between El Salvador and Ecuador around November 14.

The Netherlands: Dutch Customs seized 802 kilograms of cocaine in the port of Rotterdam on November 14. They were hidden in a shipment of bananas from Costa Rica.

Caribbean and Eastern Pacific: On November 10, P-3 Long Range Tracker and Airborne Early Warning crews responded to a report of a suspect vessel. An AMO P-3 crew guided a partner nation maritime law enforcement team to interdict. Partners seized 9 bales of cocaine with an at-sea weight of 3,100 kilos.

Puerto Rico: US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) agents on November 9 intercepted a vessel with two occupants transporting 13 bales of cocaine, weighing 386 kilos, west of Desecheo Island.  

Caribbean and Eastern Pacific: On November 6, a P-3 Airborne Early Warning crew responded to a report of a suspect go-fast vessel. The aircrew tracked the vessel and guided in a partner nation law enforcement team who seized 28 bales of cocaine that composed a weight of 796 kilos.

The Netherlands: Dutch Customs seized 2,814 kilograms of cocaine in the port of Rotterdam in the weekend of 5 and 6 November. The coke was hidden in a shipment of frozen squid from Ecuador.

Puerto Rico: On November 5, a P-3 Airborne Early Warning crew departed San Juan, Puerto Rico and responded to a request to aid search for bales that had been jettisoned by maritime drug smugglers in the Caribbean. The aircrew located a debris field and guided partner nation law enforcement teams to recover 156 floating cocaine bales with a reported at-sea weight of over 5,100 kilograms

United States: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers assigned to the World Trade Bridge on November 1 referred a 2010 International Pro Star tractor trailer manifesting paint buckets for secondary inspection. Following a canine and non-intrusive inspection system examination, CBP officers discovered a total of 922 kilos of alleged methamphetamine within the shipment.

October:

Spain: Spanish police seized over 32 tons of cannabis in several raids in October as part of Operation Gardens.

Caribbean Sea: A ship of the Royal Dutch Navy seized 900 kilograms of cocaine during two separate actions on October 24 and October 27 while patrolling on the Caribbean Sea.

Germany: German Customs seized 635 kilograms of cocaine in the city of Duisburg at the end of October. The coke was hidden in a shipment of bananas.

Puerto Rico: US Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations agents intercepted a vessel with two occupants transporting 1,200 kilograms of cocaine south of Vieques island on October 26.

Costa Rica: Narcotics police seized 400 kilograms of cocaine in the port of Moín in Costa Rica on October 24.

Spain: Spanish police seized 3,500 kilograms of hashish around October 22. The narcotics were seized after a high speed chase at sea in front of the coast of southern Spain.

The Netherlands: Customs in the Dutch port of Rotterdam seized 207 kilograms of cocaine on October 22. The coke was hidden in a secret compartment in a container filled with pineapples from the Dominican Republic.

The Netherlands: Customs in the Dutch port city of Vlissingen seized 254 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside a shipment of bananas from Ecuador on October 20.

Belgium: Customs in the port city of Antwerp seized 6,000 kilograms of cocaine on October 17.

The Netherlands: Customs at the port Rotterdam seized 400 kilograms of cocaine on October 16. The narcotic was hidden in a shipment of salted beef coming from Brazil.

Colombia: Anti-narcotics police in the Colombian port city of Santa Marta seized 590 kilograms of cocaine on October 14. The load was hidden in a shipment of fruit.

Spain: Spanish police seized 330 kilograms of hashish on October 5. The load was hidden in a truck.

Arabian Sea: The Royal British Navy seized 870 kilograms of crystal meth aboard a dhow, a small boat, in the Arabian Sea in early October.

Panama: Authorities in Panama seized a 1,000 kilograms of cocaine on October 1.

September:

United States: The DEA Los Angeles Field Division, Southwest Border Initiative (SWB) Group 2, along with the Fontana Police Department, seized over 1,600 kilograms of methamphetamine and 66 kilograms of cocaine in Norco, California in late September. This is the largest seizure of methamphetamine for the DEA Los Angeles Division.

The Netherlands: Dutch customs in the port of Rotterdam seized 1,350 kilograms of cocaine on September 27.

The Netherlands: Acting on a tip-off by the DEA, Dutch customs seized over 700 kilograms of cocaine in the port of Rotterdam on September 21. The narcotics were hidden in a shipment of bananas arriving from Costa Rica.

The Netherlands: Dutch Customs seized 1,527 kilograms of cocaine spread out over two shipments at the port of Rotterdam on September 20. One container was shipped from Peru and was destined for Spain. The drugs were hidden among asperges. Another load was hidden among a shipment of guitars shipped from the United States and destined for the Netherlands.  

United States: CBP officers in Cincinnati seized 188 kilograms of marijuana on September 17. The drugs were discover when Narcotic Detector Dog, Bruno, alerted to a shipment of dehumidifiers, with each one containing vacuum sealed bags containing marijuana.

United States: Blaine Sector Border Patrol agents seized a 2006 Hummer H3 and nearly 204 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine in a residential area near the international boundary on September 9.

United States: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers at Del Rio Port of Entry seized 606 kilograms of methamphetamine on September 5. The seizure occurred at the Del Rio International Bridge when a CBP officer referred a 2016 Kenworth tractor hauling a shipment of diesel tank reservoir containers for a secondary inspection.

Venezuela: Venezuelan armed forces seized 2,800 kilograms of marijuana, they reported on September 5. The shipment was aboard a vessel departing from Colombia heading to the island of Martinique.

Costa Rica: Authorities in Costa Rica seized 2500 kilograms of cocaine and 3100 kilograms of marijuana in the port of Moín in Limón on September 3. The shipment was destined for Antwerp, Belgium.

The Netherlands: Dutch Customs seized 3000 kilograms of cannabis hidden in a shipment of coconuts from Nigeria, authorities reported on September 1.

August:

United States: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations officers at Laredo Port of Entry seized 247 kilograms of cocaine inside a 2020 Freightliner tractor hauling a shipment of plastic ethylene sheets on August 31.

United States: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations officers at Laredo Port of Entry seized 325 kilograms of cocaine at the World Trade Bridge when a CBP officer referred a 2009 International tractor hauling a shipment of furniture for a secondary inspection on August 30. That same day, another seizure also occurred at World Trade Bridge. CBP officers referred a tractor trailer hauling a shipment of steel rolls for a secondary inspection and found 122 kilograms of cocaine.

The Netherlands: Dutch Customs seized 1533 kilograms of cocaine in the port of Rotterdam on August 30. The bricks of coke were in sporting bags hidden within a load of apples. The shipment arrived from Panama.

The Netherlands: Dutch Customs at the port of Rotterdam seized two major shipments of cocaine on August 29. One container was loaded with 361 kilograms of cocaine hidden among peanuts. Another container contained 505 kilograms of cocaine. Both shipments originated from Argentina.

United States: Agents of the Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol and of the Brownsville Border Patrol Station seized over 170 kilograms of marijuana in two separate smuggling attempts on August 27 and August 28.

United States: U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized almost 700 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a load of baby wipes inside a truck crossing the border at the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge on August 26.

Australia: Australian police seized 1,800 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in marble inside shipping containers at a Sydney port. At the beginning of this month, Australian police also seized over 150 kilograms of meth hidden inside a vintage Bentley at the same port.

The Netherlands: Divers of Dutch Customs discovered 150 kilograms of cocaine hidden under a ship in the port of Amsterdam during a routine check on August 17. The shipment was sent from Brazil.  

Ecuador: Two shipments of cocaine totaling 3500 kilograms were seized in the past several days in Ecuador. Both loads were hidden inside trucks headed to port cities. One truck headed for Guayaquil contained a shipment of 2300 kilograms, while the other was filled with 1200 kilograms.

The Netherlands: Dutch customs seized 300 kilograms of cocaine on August 11 at the port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The shipment was hidden in a container filled with fishmeal. It was shipped from Chile.

Bonaire: The Dutch Navy intercepted a vessel near the island of Bonaire on August 10 and seized 450 kilos of cocaine and 100 kilos of marijuana. That same day, the Dutch Coast Guard got a report about other suspicious vessels nearby. One ship was refueling another ship. On one of those ships authorities discovered 2300 kilograms of cocaine.

United States: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from the Otay Mesa Port of Entry found around 395 kilograms of cocaine and 18 kilograms of fentanyl concealed within a shipment of heavy machinery gears inside a 2009 Freightliner truck on August 5.

Curacao: The Dutch Navy intercepted a go-fast boat near the island of Curacao in the Caribbean on August 4. Five Venezuelans were arrested and 1 ton of cocaine was seized.

Guinea-Bissau: Guinea's navy and military police have seized about three tons of cocaine they found hidden on a ship anchored in Guinean waters, they said on August 4. “Two shipments of drugs were seized,” Navy captain Mamadou Yaya Diallo told Reuters.

Ireland: Irish police seized a private plan which carried 120 kilograms of cocaine on August 4.

Belgium: Belgian Customs at the port of Antwerp seized a shipment of 372 kilograms of cocaine on August 3. The coke was hidden inside a shipment of sugar shipped from Brazil.

Mexico: Mexican marines seized more than a ton of cocaine from a boat discovered off the coast of Michoacán, the Navy announced on August 3.

July:

Belgium: Customs at the port of Antwerp discovered 734 kilograms of cocaine on July 29. The shipment was hidden among bags of sugar. It was sent from Colombia.

Mexico: Mexico City police announced on July 26 the single-biggest cocaine bust in the capital’s history, seizing 1.6 tons of cocaine from two freight trucks.

Great Britain: Officers seized over 500 kilograms of cocaine on a boat travelling from Colombia, at London Gateway on the Essex coast, south-east England, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said. Investigators intercepted the shipment, which had been on its way to the Netherlands, on July 26, 2022. The coke was wedged alongside bananas in cardboard boxes.

Australia: Australian Border Force officers found 700 kilograms of cocaine on July 22 while inspecting containers on the vessel Maersk Inverness at Port Botany in Sydney. Forensic examination identified different emblems on the bricks, including the numerals 5 and 365 and the word Netflix.

Dominican Republic: The National Directorate for Drug Control reported on July 17 that together with the Navy had seized 337.12 kilograms of cocaine on the coast of the province of Barahona.

U.S., Los Angeles: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized approximately one million pills laced with fentanyl allegedly linked to the Sinaloa Cartel on July 5, 2022, in what authorities say is the biggest bust for the drug in California history.

U.S., San Diego County: Over 2 tons of methamphetamine were seized in July after authorities in San Diego County tracked and intercepted a truck that crossed the US border from Mexico.

June:

U.S., New York: A court authorized search of an apartment in the Mount Hope neighborhood of the Bronx on June 27, 2022, resulted in the seizure of approximately 110 kilograms of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine, plus 50 pounds of a substance believed to be crystal meth and up to 75,000 counterfeit pills believed to contain fentanyl.

Czech Republic: The Czech police seized 840 kilograms of cocaine hidden among bananas delivered to several supermarkets

Colombia: Authorities in Colombia seized a shipment containing 1,000 kilograms of cocaine that was disguised as potatoes and frozen chips.

April:

The Netherlands: Customs officers in Rotterdam, the Netherlands intercepted 1,099 kilograms of cocaine during a check in the port of Rotterdam on April 25. The drugs were hidden in a banana shipment from Ecuador.

March:

Great Britain: Over 3.7 tons of cocaine hydrochloride, hidden in boxes of bananas in a container of 20 pallets of the fruit, were seized by the British Border Force at Southampton Docks on March 17, 2022.

January:

Montenegro: Montenegrin police on January 12 seized more than 400 kilograms of cocaine in the capital, Podgorica, after workers in the Voli retailer company’s warehouse found the packages hidden in a banana shipment.

Great Britain: Border Force officers found 103 kilograms of cocaine on January 6 while searching a vessel that had arrived at the Port of Southampton. The drugs were hidden in a shipment of bananas from Colombia.

Canada: In early January, more than 1.5 tons of cocaine was seized by border services officers in Saint John, New Brunswick, following a sophisticated drug smuggling investigation by the CBSA and RCMP. The narcotics were discovered concealed inside the cargo of a marine container.

Oman: HMS Montrose, a British Royal Navy ship operating as part of the Combined Maritime Forces, seized over 1 ton of illicit drugs in the Gulf of Oman. In an operation lasting almost 10 hours, a team from the warship boarded a suspect in international waters off the coast of Oman and seized 663 kilograms of heroin, 87 kilograms of methamphetamine and 291 kilograms of hashish and marijuana.

2021

December:

Great Britain: 1.2 tons of cocaine were seized at the port of Kent on December 20. The shipment had arrived in the United Kingdom from Costa Rica and was found in a banana shipment during an armed raid at the Kent port.

October:

Australia: Australian police seized 450 kilograms of heroin inside a sea freight container of ceramic tiles sent from Malaysia and addressed to a Melbourne business. It is the largest heroin shipment ever detected in the country (up to this date).

Laos: Police in Laos intercepted a truck carrying 55 million methamphetamine tablets and more than 1.5 tons of crystal meth. It was the biggest single drug seizure ever recorded in Asia, according to the United Nations.

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