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** To Stop Drugs, Kill, or Capture?
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Mike LaSusa, Deputy Director of Content
16 JAN, 2026
Over the past several years, I’ve seen so many headlines about “record cocaine seizures” in countries around the world that they barely register anymore.
But this week, two record cocaine seizures in Europe caught my eye: a 3-ton bust ([link removed]) in Sweden and 10 tons ([link removed]) headed to Spain. These huge interdictions showed that after more than three months of lethal US attacks on alleged drug boats, global drug flows have not halted — at most, they’re simply shifting routes.
The substantial human and financial cost of the US strikes, which now number 35 and have killed at least 123 people ([link removed]) , raises the question of how effective they have been in debilitating international drug trafficking networks.
US President Donald Trump has claimed that the military campaign in the Caribbean and Atlantic has almost completely eliminated drug trafficking in those areas. But the European seizures show there’s no shortage of alternative corridors to get the product to consumers.
Pushing the trade around isn’t the same thing as tackling it at its roots. The 10-ton seizure was an example of how traditional law enforcement cooperation can deal big blows to trafficking networks, without bloodshed and allegations of war crimes.
The US worked with the UK, France, Portugal, Brazil, and Spain on the seizure, which was worth tens of millions of dollars. With cocaine production remaining at record levels ([link removed]) and demand continuing to climb in Europe and Asia, that kind of international cooperation will be crucial for combating the powerful networks moving large-scale drug shipments around the world.
The question now is whether that kind of cooperation will continue, or whether the United States will keep doubling down on its longstanding militarized approach, which has grown increasingly more aggressive under President Donald Trump.
Whatever comes next, we’ll be tracking it.
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Explore our annual Criminal GameChangers series for 2025, where we look back on a decade of tectonic shifts in criminal markets and highlight what to expect in 2026.
Full series here ([link removed])
Take a closer look at the standout stories from Latin America and the Caribbean that crossed our desk:
OnTheRadar (#OnTheRadar) | Editor’s Pick (#Editors-pick) #Editors-pick | Don’t Miss (#Dont-Miss) | In the Spotlight (#In-The-Spotlight) | Audio (#Audio)
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#OnTheRadar ()
** This Week in Organized Crime
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◉ ([link removed]) US-Mexico tensions die down after threats of intervention ([link removed]) .
◉ ([link removed]) Colombia-Venezuela border violence intensifies following Maduro’s removal ([link removed]) .
◉ ([link removed]) Record seizures highlight the cocaine pipeline to Europe. ([link removed])
Watch this Reel ([link removed])
#Editor’sPick ()
Investigations > ([link removed])
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** Report Puts International Banks, Honduras Elites at Center of Berta Cáceres Murder
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Almost 10 years have passed since Indigenous activist and environmental defender Berta Cáceres was murdered in Honduras in March 2016. Since that time, the official investigation has failed to hold all of the intellectual authors of the crime accountable.
However, a new report from an independent group of experts has concluded that the high-profile crime was orchestrated by a network of Honduran business elites to protect their economic stake in a controversial development project. But will authorities bring every member of the conspiracy to justice?
Read our analysis ([link removed])
< Criminal Profiles ([link removed])
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** In the Spotlight ()
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** 5 Criminal Figures Who Helped Develop Venezuela's System of Corruption ([link removed])
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The arrest of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife on drug trafficking charges on January 3 brought into sharp focus the involvement of corrupt Venezuelan state elements in drug trafficking.
While US prosecutors initially portrayed Maduro as the leader of the so-called Cartel of the Suns, which it referred to as a “Venezuelan drug-trafficking organization,” a new indictment reframes the idea of the Cartel of the Suns as a “patronage system” wherein widespread corruption allows officials of all levels to profit from criminal activity.
Find out more ([link removed]) about five key figures who played a prominent role in the development of Venezuelan state corruption.
** Don’t Miss ()
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🔗 ([link removed]) 5 Criminal Figures Who Helped Develop Venezuela's System of Corruption ([link removed])
🔗 ([link removed]) Report Puts International Banks, Honduras Elites at Center of Berta Cáceres Murder ([link removed])
🔗 ([link removed]) The Colectivos’ Role in the Struggle for Power in Post-Maduro Venezuela ([link removed])
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** #Audio () JAN 13, 2026
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** GameChangers: US Reignites the War on Drugs and Weakens It for 2026 ([link removed])
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The United States has redefined its war on drugs in Latin America.
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