Authorities in Guinea-Bissau have seized 2.6 tons of cocaine from a plane that arrived from Venezuela, marking one of the largest drug busts in the country’s history. The judicial police confiscated 78 bales of drugs from the Gulfstream IV aircraft during a raid at Osvaldo Vieira International Airport over the weekend.
The crew, which included two Mexican nationals and citizens of Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil, was arrested, including the pilot. The operation was carried out with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre–Narcotics, a European organization.
West Africa has increasingly become a transit hub for cocaine trafficked from Latin America to Europe. Guinea-Bissau, in particular, has gained a reputation as a preferred route for international drug cartels. Earlier this year, the son of a former president of Guinea-Bissau was sentenced in the U.S. for leading a heroin trafficking ring.
The seizure underscores the growing threat of drug trafficking in West Africa. Neighboring Senegal also recently announced a record-breaking cocaine seizure, further highlighting the region’s role in global drug smuggling operations.