Authorities in Guinea-Bissau have seized 2.63 tonnes of cocaine from a plane at the capital’s international airport. The aircraft, which arrived from Venezuela, was discovered on Saturday with at least 78 bales of cocaine—reported to be the largest drug seizure in the country’s history.
The plane, registered in Mexico, was carrying a crew of five, including two Mexicans, one Colombian, one Ecuadorian, and one Brazilian. All crew members, including the pilot, were detained and are expected in court on Monday.
The seizure, named “Operation Landing,” was carried out in collaboration with the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the European Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre–Narcotics. Authorities are now working to dismantle the entire trafficking network involved.
Guinea-Bissau, a key transit point for global drug trafficking, has earned the label of a “narco-state” from the UN. The country has faced ongoing challenges with drug trafficking due to its history of political instability and weak state institutions, exacerbated by nine coups since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974.
Earlier in 2024, the son of Guinea-Bissau’s former president was sentenced to over six years in a US court for leading an international heroin trafficking ring.
