Authorities in Guinea-Bissau have made a significant drug bust, seizing nearly 3 tons of cocaine from a Venezuelan aircraft.
The drugs were discovered during a raid at the country’s international airport on Saturday afternoon.
Five crew members, including two Mexicans, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
The plane, a Gulfstream IV, was carrying 78 bales of cocaine.
This incident highlights the increasing prevalence of cocaine trafficking in West Africa, which has become a major transit hub for drugs from Latin America and Asia.
Guinea-Bissau, in particular, has been identified as a preferred route for international drug cartels.
The seizure was a joint operation involving Guinea-Bissau’s judicial police, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre–Narcotics.
It follows a similar record-breaking cocaine seizure in neighboring Senegal earlier this year.