Colombia Cocaine Seizure Hits 1,042 Kilos on Meta River

Cargo moves on the Meta River at Cabuyaro, in eastern Colombia. File photo, 2015. (Photo: Victormontealegre, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

COLOMBIA · SECURITY

Colombian forces seized 1,042 kilos of cocaine from a boat on the Meta River, the Defence Ministry announced on Friday 9 October. The Colombia cocaine seizure took place in La Primavera, a remote town in the eastern department of Vichada.

The case matters to Washington because intelligence reports link the boat to the National Liberation Army (ELN), a US-listed terrorist group. Aboard, officers also found a Starlink satellite antenna, the internet service of the US company SpaceX.

What the Defence Ministry Announced

The ministry announced the Colombia cocaine seizure in a post on X that the Bogotá news magazine Semana reproduced word for word. It said the 1,042 kilos were cocaine hydrochloride, the powder form of the drug.

“Let there be no doubt: we will keep attacking narco-terrorism in Colombia with all our capabilities,” the ministry wrote. It said the Navy, the Army, the National Police and the Office of the Attorney General took part.

The Office of the Attorney General, known in Colombia as the Fiscalía, is the national prosecution service. It leads criminal investigations in the country.

According to the ministry, the haul completes more than 2.5 tonnes of drugs seized on the Meta River in less than 15 days. With this result, it said, more than 2.5 million doses were kept off the streets.

The ministry also said the operation hit criminal finances by more than US$56 million. It did not explain how it reached that figure.

What Officers Found on the Boat

The Bogotá newspaper El Tiempo gave more detail on the Colombia cocaine seizure, citing a Navy report. Units of the Orinoquía Naval Force, the Navy’s command for the eastern plains, stopped the boat in the Nueva Antioquia area of La Primavera.

The man steering the boat tried to escape when he saw the officers, the Navy report says. The boat was then moved to a safe port so that its cargo could be checked.

Officers also found three drums of gasoline, an outboard motor and a Starlink satellite antenna on board. Satellite internet can keep a crew online far from any mobile phone network.

Antinarcotics investigators of the National Police confirmed the substance was cocaine hydrochloride with a preliminary field test, El Tiempo reported.

Why the ELN Link Matters to Washington

El Tiempo reports that intelligence information ties the boat to the José Daniel Pérez front of the ELN. The ELN, or National Liberation Army, is a leftist guerrilla group that the US State Department blames for bombings and kidnappings in Colombia and Venezuela.

Washington has listed the ELN as a foreign terrorist organisation since 8 October 1997. The same list has included two breakaway groups of the former FARC guerrillas since 1 December 2021.

That label makes it a federal crime for anyone under US jurisdiction to knowingly give the group money or other material support. US banks holding funds linked to a listed group must also freeze them and report them to the Treasury Department.

Colombia’s conservative president, Abelardo De la Espriella, ruled out a hostage exchange with the ELN in September, as The Rio Times reported. In its 2023 terrorism report, the State Department said Venezuela gave the group a safe haven.

A Colombian marine at the opening of a river operations course attended by US Marines in Apartadó, Colombia. File photo, 2024. (Photo: Cpl. Trystan Taft, US Marine Corps, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

A River Route Under Pressure

The Meta River crosses Colombia’s eastern plains, known as the Llanos, before joining the Orinoco on the border with Venezuela. El Tiempo says the river is back on the map of drug-trafficking routes.

The latest Colombia cocaine seizure follows another in the same Nueva Antioquia area. The Bogotá-based news channel NTN24 reported on 25 September that about 1.5 tonnes had been seized from a boat there.

Military commanders said then that armed groups use the river corridors to move drugs toward Venezuela.

For the latest load, investigators are studying possible links to routes toward Central America and Europe, according to El Tiempo. The paper says the drugs were most likely headed for international markets.

A study this year found that cocaine has become one of Colombia’s biggest earners, as The Rio Times reported in June.

What It Means for You

For US travellers, the seizure is a reminder that Colombia’s eastern border region remains contested by armed groups. The US State Department rates Colombia as a whole at Level 3, Reconsider Travel.

The travel advisory lists the Colombia-Venezuela border region as Level 4, Do Not Travel, along with Arauca, Cauca and Norte de Santander. Vichada is not named separately, though the department itself borders Venezuela.

If the ELN link holds, the case would add to evidence that a group Washington lists as terrorist earns money from cocaine. The main tourist cities, such as Bogotá, Medellín and Cartagena, are far from the Meta River route.

What Is Not Known

Officials have not said whether the man steering the boat, or anyone else, was arrested. The exact date of the operation has not been published.

The ELN link rests on intelligence reports cited by El Tiempo, and no response from the group has been reported. It is also not known who owned the load or where it was finally headed.

More: Colombia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much cocaine did Colombia seize on the Meta River?

The Defence Ministry said the Colombia cocaine seizure netted 1,042 kilos of cocaine hydrochloride in La Primavera, Vichada. It said this brings seizures on the river to more than 2.5 tonnes in under 15 days.

Who is said to be behind the shipment?

El Tiempo reports that intelligence information links the boat to the José Daniel Pérez front of the ELN, a guerrilla group. No charges have been announced, and no response from the group has been reported.

Why does the United States care about this Colombia cocaine seizure?

The US has listed the ELN as a foreign terrorist organisation since 1997, and much of Colombia’s cocaine is sold abroad. The boat also carried a Starlink antenna from the US company SpaceX.

Is it safe for Americans to travel to Colombia?

The US State Department rates Colombia at Level 3, Reconsider Travel. It advises against all travel to the Colombia-Venezuela border region and to Arauca, Cauca and Norte de Santander.

Sources: El Tiempo (Navy report), 9 October 2026; Semana (Defence Ministry statement), 9 October 2026; NTN24, 25 September 2026; US State Department, Foreign Terrorist Organizations, accessed 10 October 2026; US State Department, Colombia Travel Advisory, accessed 10 October 2026; US State Department, Country Reports on Terrorism 2023, accessed 10 October 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief