News

  • News Release
  • Management Board updates

    • More than 156 tonnes of drugs seized and dozens of criminal networks dismantled in a global operation co-led by Frontex

    2026-09-23

    More than 156 tonnes of drugs were seized and over 490 people arrested in an international operation that dismantled dozens of criminal networks moving cocaine and other illicit goods across the Atlantic. Operation ATLAS NEXUS was co-led by Frontex. It is the largest joint operation against organised crime carried out to date between Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.

    The operation targeted five priority criminal markets: drug trafficking, trafficking in human beings, document fraud, firearms trafficking, and environmental crime. Authorities from 34 countries took part, together with more than 8 680 police and judicial officers.

    Results at a glance:

    • more than 490 arrests
    • more than 156.9 tonnes of drugs seized, including 37.6 tonnes of cocaine and 118.6 tonnes of cannabis
    • 201 firearms and 3 131 units of ammunition and explosives
    • 803 wild animals and livestock recovered
    • approximately USD 135 000 in cash and cryptocurrencies
    • 0.83 kg of gold
    • 169 properties and 464 pieces of jewellery
    • 468 fraudulent documents and one vehicle
    • 18 victims rescued and assisted
    • 595 search warrants executed
    • 110 aircraft, 28 vessels, 415 vehicles and 271 containers checked at 28 designated checkpoints
    • 37 INTERPOL notices issued, including 17 Red Notices

    Frontex co-led the operation as co-leader of EMPACT Operational Action 6.1 and participated in the coordination from the preparatory phase through to the end. During the operation, Frontex activated its officers deployed in joint operations at air, land and sea borders, provided coordination on the ground and deployed vessel tracking support to the coordination centre. Frontex Copernicus services supported the surveillance of suspect vessels. The Agency also reported results to the operation, including fraudulent documents detected and facilitators identified behind the networks.

    National authorities in Portugal seized more than 3 tonnes of cocaine on the coast after a speedboat transferred bales to smaller boats. A further 2 tonnes were recovered from bales found adrift at sea. In Malta, 40 kg of cocaine were found hidden in the motor compartment of a container declared to carry bananas.

    At Larnaca airport in Cyprus, a Frontex officer participated in the check that led a passenger to admit carrying about 1 kg of cocaine. In Italy, a Frontex officer helped uncover forged vehicle number plates linked to smuggling.

    Officers identified and dismantled the first cocaine-processing laboratory ever detected in Ireland. They also identified two illegal gold-mining sites in French Guiana. Australia played a key role in the seizure of more than 5.6 tonnes of cocaine. In Costa Rica, authorities seized more than 27 tonnes of drugs and arrested 375 people. In Paraguay, authorities seized a record 104.96 tonnes of cannabis.

    The operation followed the money as well as the goods. Property, jewellery and other proceeds of crime were seized from the networks. The results show that work at the external borders can help disrupt criminal networks that operate far beyond the border. They also illustrate the value of moving from single seizures towards the dismantling of the networks and assets behind organised crime. Frontex participates in line with its mandate and the EU Strategy and Action Plan on Drugs.

    Participating countries: Belgium, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia, together with Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montenegro, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom and the United States.

    Partners: AMERIPOL, CARICOM IMPACS, Europol, Frontex, INTERPOL, MAOC-N and the Regional Security System (RSS).

    Supporting programmes: CRIMARIO II, SEACOP VI and INTERPOL I-CAN.

    The operation was led by the Belgian Federal Police. It was co-coordinated by Operational Action 6.1 of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), focused on the Most Threatening Criminal Networks and Individuals (MTCNI), together with Frontex and the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS). It was facilitated by EL PACCTO 2.0, the European Union's cooperation programme with Latin America and the Caribbean on security and justice.