Drug seizures have been presented by Latin American governments, especially Colombia’s, as proof of their fight against drug trafficking, particularly in light of the new and more determined policy of the United States against that scourge, which in the last eight months has left at least 186 dead in bombings of 55 boats identified as transporting narcotics in the Caribbean and in the eastern Pacific.
Colombia, which is the main producer of cocaine in the world, is also the country that reports the most drug seizures. But that has not been enough to reduce the area planted with coca leaf, which is already estimated at around 300,000 hectares; nor to comprehensively combat that transnational crime; nor, for now, to return to the list prepared by Washington of countries that fight drug trafficking.
President Donald Trump removed the South American country in 2025 for having “manifestly failed” to meet its obligations under international counternarcotics agreements.
Traffickers develop new ways to hide and transport
The outlook is more discouraging if one takes into account that, as reported by the think tank and specialized outlet Insight Crime, while Colombian authorities seized 445.9 tons of cocaine in 2025, which represents an increase of 59.4% compared to the 279.7 tons seized in 2024, and also contributed to the seizure of another 633 tons at the international level, traffickers are advancing by developing new ways to hide and transport cocaine, and are building increasingly sophisticated global networks to reach new markets.
These figures correspond to estimates based on official and secondary sources, although Insight Crime highlights that there are differences in the way authorities measure and report information, which makes comparisons between countries difficult. For example, the purity of the drug is rarely reported, and some countries include in their figures both powder cocaine and cocaine base.
Based on that consideration, Colombia leads, by far, the list of seizures in the region with a marked increase from 279.7 tons of cocaine in 2024 to 445.9 tons in 2025. Five other countries show an increase, although nothing comparable to that of Colombia. These are El Salvador, which seized 22.6 tons in 2024 and rose to 24.6 tons in 2025, and Costa Rica, from 27 to 46.5; Argentina, from 11.9 to 13.5; Uruguay, from 2 to 2.1; and Brazil, from 74.5 to 135.3.
Except for those six countries, in the region, the others that reported seizures showed significant declines between the years 2024 and 2025. Honduras, which shows a record that must be taken with caution as it went from 26 tons of cocaine seized in 2024 to 1.5 tons in 2025; Peru, from 40 tons went to 38.9; Bolivia, from 40 tons to 17.1; Ecuador, from 160 tons to 65.9; Panama, from 99.3 tons to 97; Guatemala, from 18.2 to 9.9; Dominican Republic, from 37.7 to 19.6.
Venezuela does not produce, but it is the main export route
The Venezuelan regime reported a record year in 2025, with approximately 42.6 tons of cocaine seized, compared to 35.1 tons in 2024. However, for Insight Crime, these figures must be interpreted with caution, given the limited transparency of official data. Within this total is included a record seizure of 15.4 tons in April in the state of Zulia, on the border with Colombia.
The shipment came from Colombia and was destined for the United States, according to the Minister of Interior Relations, Justice, and Peace Diosdado Cabello. Zulia has been a key territory for cocaine smuggling and, in the past, was dominated by the Sinaloa Cartel. But as corrupt security forces have intensified pressure — favoring more cooperative local groups — Sinaloa’s influence has diminished, and Venezuelan gangs have gained ground.
“The role of Venezuela as a cocaine transit country was used by the United States to justify air strikes in international waters that began in early September 2025,” Insight Crime recalls. These attacks and the U.S. military deployment off the Venezuelan coast appear to have temporarily reduced and shifted the flow of cocaine from traditional departure points, such as Margarita Island, Falcon, and Sucre, which has pushed traffickers to seek alternative routes. They have also affected legal economies, particularly fishing.