Colombian Navy intercepts speedboat in Pacific, seizing over 2 tons of cocaine and arresting three suspects — dramatic video released.
The Colombian Navy seized over two tons of cocaine after chasing down a speedboat packed with drugs and fuel in the South Pacific Ocean, authorities said Wednesday, as the world’s largest cocaine-producing country faces pressure from the U.S. to tackle drug trafficking.
The operation took place about 140 nautical miles from Tumaco, which is located on the southwestern corner of the country in the Pacific coast’s Nariño region, the navy said in a post on social media. Authorities said they found 2,000 kilograms of cocaine (4,400 pounds) and 270 gallons of fuel on the so-called “go-fast boat.” Three Colombian nationals on board were arrested.
The navy posted video of the interception, showing armed officers board the vessel as three suspects were ordered to lie down face first in the front. Authorities also released images showing stacks of the alleged drugs laid out in rows on shore after the operation.
The navy said the seizure of drugs, estimated to be worth more than $95 million, prevented “the distribution of approximately 4.9 million doses on the streets of the world.”
The seizure comes as the Trump administration has continued its military campaign against alleged drug-ferrying boats off South America in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Those strikes, which started in September, have killed more than 100 people.
Mr. Trump has criticized President Gustavo Petro, calling the Colombian leader a “sick man” and hinting at possible military action in the country. However, the two leaders spoke earlier this month and a Colombian official familiar with the conversation told CBS News the call was “very positive,” describing it as a “180° change” in both sides’ rhetoric.
Mr. Trump invited Petro to the White House, and Petro told CBS News he would go “to stop a world war.”
Relations between the U.S. and Colombia have been tense for months, with the Trump administration accusing the Colombian government of failing to contain a spike in cocaine production. In October of last year, Mr. Trump called Petro an “leader,” and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced sanctions on Petro and his family, claiming he “has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity.” The U.S. also removed Colombia from the list of allies in the war on drugs.
However, Colombia has made several major drug busts in recent months. In November, the nation announced its largest cocaine bust in a decade, with 14 tons confiscated at its main Pacific port.
That same month, Colombian navy divers at a port on the Pacific coast found over 450 pounds of cocaine underneath a ship that was preparing to set sail for Europe. That seizure came just days after the navy announced it had confiscated more than seven tons of drugs from two speedboats and a “narco sub,” also in the Pacific Ocean.
Reports are sourced from official documents, law-enforcement updates, and credible investigations.
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