Authorities seize 30 kilograms of cocaine at Bogotá's El Dorado airport, valued at $259 million
The National Police found the drug concealed in a suitcase bound for Punta Cana. The shipment would have allowed distribution of approximately 75,000 doses in international markets.
Operation at El Dorado uncovers cocaine shipment destined for the Caribbean
The National Police seized 30 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride at Bogotá's El Dorado International Airport, according to infobae.com. The substance was distributed in 30 rectangular packages inside a checked suitcase registered for a flight bound for Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
The Directorate of Anti-Narcotics confirmed the procedure and indicated that the discovery was made during routine controls of baggage being transported through the country's main air terminal. Brigadier General William Castaño Ramos, director of Anti-Narcotics for the National Police, detailed that officers detected the packages while reviewing the contents of the suitcase as part of airport verification activities.
The authorities estimated that the shipment would have allowed the circulation of approximately 75,000 doses in international markets, and calculated its economic impact on criminal structures at over 259 million pesos.
The Police disseminated the results of the operation through their social media and framed it within the fight against transnational drug trafficking. "Crime does not respect borders, and our response cannot stop at them," the institution stated in its communiqué.
The authorities did not reveal the identity of the person who registered the suitcase nor clarify whether the operation resulted in arrests. The institution indicated that actions continue with the purpose of identifying all members of the network responsible for the preparation and distribution of the drug.
The seizure was carried out under what is known as Operation Emerald, an institutional plan aimed at detecting illicit substances concealed in luggage, parcels and other means of transport at Colombian airports. General Castaño Ramos emphasised that the operations are specifically intended to prevent shipments from leaving national territory before reaching their sales destinations.
According to the Police, drug trafficking networks employ various methods to transport cocaine abroad: contamination of checked baggage, use of travellers as human couriers, shipments via commercial cargo, and concealment of substances in everyday objects. The Anti-Narcotics Directorate affirmed that it maintains special surveillance over these forms of concealment at all air terminals throughout the country.
"We continue strengthening controls at the country's main air terminals to detect the different concealment methods and prevent these illicit substances from reaching international markets," the official declared.
Following the seizure at El Dorado, the institution announced that inspections will be maintained permanently. The strategy includes prevention activities, baggage review and monitoring of new concealment techniques that could be used to remove narcotics from Colombia. During 2026, multiple similar cases have been recorded both at El Dorado and on overland routes in the country, which evidences the persistence of criminal networks with increasingly sophisticated methods to evade authorities' controls.
Source: Google News CO — Bogotá