On Tuesday, November 11, 2025, Panamanian authorities announced one of the largest cocaine seizures in the history of this Central American country, intercepted on a ferry in the Pacific Ocean en route to the United States.
Approximately 12 tons of cocaine were seized and the 10 people on board the ship were arrested during an operation on Monday, prosecutor Julio Villareal told the press.
Venezuelans, Ecuadorians, and Nicaraguans were among those arrested on the ferry, which was coming from Colombia, he said.
This is the largest seizure since 2007, when 19 tons of cocaine were seized in Panamanian Pacific waters, according to authorities, who claim to have intercepted 124 tons of drugs in 2024.
Panama is a transit point for cocaine from South America, mainly from neighboring Colombia, bound for the United States, the world’s largest consumer.
Latin American countries are seeking to highlight their efforts in the fight against drugs, while the United States has deployed a military fleet in the region since August with the stated aim of combating drug trafficking.
US strikes on boats suspected of carrying drugs have caused at least 76 deaths so far in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
Venezuela believes that the US armada is actually aimed at overthrowing President Nicolas Maduro and seizing the country’s oil reserves.