San Salvador, March 12, 2025 — In a significant blow to international drug trafficking, the Salvadoran Navy has seized 1.5 tons of cocaine valued at approximately $37.5 million during a high-seas operation in the Pacific Ocean, President Nayib Bukele announced Tuesday night.
The vessel carrying the illicit cargo was intercepted 600 nautical miles (1,111 kilometers) southwest of the El Cordoncillo mouth of the Jaltepeque estuary.
Onboard were three Ecuadorian nationals, now under arrest and facing charges for transporting the drugs.
“Our National Navy has struck a new blow against international drug trafficking,” President Bukele wrote on social media platform X. “This operation brings the total amount of cocaine seized by El Salvador to 25.9 tons, with an estimated value of $647.7 million.”
The U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, William Duncan, praised the operation and highlighted the regional impact of El Salvador’s efforts in combating organized crime.
The Salvadoran Armed Forces’ effective work against drug trafficking continues to yield results. These seizures make El Salvador, the region, and the United States safer, reinforcing hemispheric stability and prosperity. William Duncan, U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador.
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The latest operation follows a recent seizure of 1.7 tons of cocaine—valued at more than $45 million—also intercepted at sea by the Navy. The suspects in that case, also Ecuadorian nationals, are currently facing criminal prosecution.
Drug trafficking remains a significant driver of violence in Central America and the Caribbean, fueled by ongoing conflict among criminal groups competing for control of trafficking routes.
El Salvador authorities are enhancing maritime surveillance and security operations in collaboration with international partners to reduce the influence and reach of transnational criminal networks.
