Interpol drug operation leads to 206 arrests, seizure of $1.6 worth of illegal drugs and chemicals

LYON, France (AP) — Interpol said more than 200 people had been arrested and about $1.6 billion worth of illegal drugs and precursor chemicals had been seized as part of a two-month operation against drug trafficking in Europe, North America and Africa.

The international police agency, based in Lyon, France, said Operation Lionfish Hurricane led to the seizure of 615 tons of illegal drugs and chemicals in April and May.

In addition, the operation led to the arrest of 206 people and the seizure of 65 stolen cars, some 30,000 commercial detonators diverted from military or commercial mining, and a “narco-sub” — a homemade semi-submarine vessel used to transport cocaine through South American waterways and across the Atlantic Ocean — in the Guyanese jungle, Interpol said.

“The value of the drugs seized in this two-month operation is higher than the GDP of some countries, clearly showing the scale of the problem facing law enforcement,” Juergen Stock, head of the 196-member organization, said in a statement. World Bank statistics show that fewer than 20 of the world’s smallest countries have an economic output of less than $1.6 billion.

According to Interpol, a record 505 tons of basic chemicals used in the production of both drugs and explosives have been seized.

The operation, part of a series of ‘Lionfish’ operations since 2013, was funded by the UK Home Office and involved 31 countries alongside other international organisations.