A coordinated police operation in 19 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean allowed the seizure of 3,308 illegal firearms and 56 tons of drugsin addition to the arrest of more than 8,700 people linked to arms trafficking, drug trafficking and other crimes, as revealed by Interpol.
The International Prison Police Organization, based in Lyon, France, reported in a statement that The operation called Orca XI took place over six weeks.between October 15 and November 30, 2025 in countries in Central America, South America and the Caribbean, with support from the Organization of American States (OAS).
In addition to the seized weapons, security forces seized nearly 200,000 ammunition, $256,025 in cash and 210 vehicles, Interpol indicated, noting that illicit arms trafficking in the region is closely linked to other criminal activities such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, migrant smuggling and cybercrime.
During the operation, 10 of the participating countries seized 6.9 tons of cocaine, 9.3 tons of cocaine paste, 38.5 tons of marijuana, 2 tons of methamphetamine, 11 kilograms of ketamine and more than 659,000 coca plants.
The same old secretary of Interpol, Brazilian Valdecy Urquiza, stated that the weapons removed from circulation and the quantities of drugs seized represent “staunch progress in the fight against organized crime”.
For his part, the same old secretary of the OAS, Albert R. Ramdin, maintained that the operation demonstrates that “international cooperation and the exchange of information give results.”
Among the notable cases, Colombia reported the arrest of 22 people investigated for financing terrorism and arms trafficking, while in Panama two suspects were arrested for arms smuggling through courier and mail systems.
In Brazil, authorities dismantled a network prison dedicated to drug trafficking and illegal weapons possession.
In Chile, an investigation led to the arrest of three people and the seizure of 580 kilograms of drugs valued at around $5.6 million, in addition to nine pistols. Authorities also froze 11 bank accounts linked to money laundering.
Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Suriname and Uruguay participated in the operation.
gs (efe, Interpol)
