Two Panamanians detained as their boat sinks with 801 kg of marijuana off Buenaventura
Colombian Navy coast guards rescued and detained two Panamanian crew members near Buenaventura on 24 February 2026 after their launch sank under 801 kg of marijuana in 34 sacks, the Navy blaming excess weight and heavy seas. The Navy estimated the load at 8 million dollars and said it kept 132,000 doses off the market.
🇨🇴 Pacific waters near Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca · Colombia
Colombian Navy coast guard units rescued two Panamanian citizens from the sea
and detained them after their boat sank with a marijuana cargo near
Buenaventura.[1]Two suspected Panamanian traffickers were captured in
Colombian Pacific waters when the launch carrying them sank with almost a tonne
of marijuana.[2]The sinking happened near the Valle del Cauca coast, close to
the district of Buenaventura.[2]
The Navy said naval intelligence had warned of a launch moving suspiciously in
the central Pacific, and Buenaventura Coast Guard boats went to inspect it.[2]When the coast guards reached the vessel it was sinking and its two crew members
were at risk of drowning.[2]The acting defence minister, Pedro Sánchez, said
the Navy intercepted a go-fast boat in the central Pacific with international
air support.[3]
The traffickers had filled the boat with 801 kilograms of marijuana in 34 sacks,
plus 10 plastic containers of fuel for a long trip.[2]Coast guard units
recovered the 34 sacks of the drug floating at sea along with the 10 plastic
containers of fuel.[4]A preliminary judicial police test confirmed the
material was marijuana, according to CNC Tuluá.[5]
The Navy attributed the sinking to structural failures caused by excess weight,
worsened by bad sea conditions that undermined the vessel’s stability.[2]The
Navy said the operation kept 8 million dollars from entering criminal
structures’ finances and 132,000 doses of narcotics off the world’s streets.[2]
The two alleged Panamanian traffickers were placed at the disposal of the
judicial authorities for drug trafficking.[4]The detainees and the seized
drug were handed to the competent authorities while investigations continued
into the cargo’s origin and destination.[1]
Photos and video
Lead photo published with the report of the 801 kg marijuana seizure off Buenaventura, captioned only 'Capturan a dos panameños tras decomiso'. Photo: TelemetroPhoto details
La Veintitréslaveintitres.comESArmada captura 801 kg de marihuana y dos panameños tras naufragio cerca de Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca
CNC Tuluácnctulua.tvESLa Armada de Colombia incautan 801 kilos de marihuana en el Pacífico central.
Open questions the AI reported
No article gives the day of the operation; the defence minister's post is dated 24 February 2026, the Colombian outlets published on 25 February and the Panamanian outlet on 26 February, so 24 February is used as the incident date.
The names and ages of the two Panamanian detainees were not published.
The 8 million dollar value and 132,000 doses are Navy estimates; the articles describe the doses as narcotics in general, not specifically marijuana, so only the value is recorded.
No charges beyond referral for drug trafficking, no custody ruling and no court outcome were reported.
The four outlets and the minister's post all reproduce the Navy's account; no independent non-official source was found.
The Telemetro photo carries no credit or caption beyond the headline, so what it shows could not be confirmed; it is linked, not copied.
Army troops seized 1,700 kilograms of pressed marijuana from a van in Santander de Quilichao, Cauca, capturing one person after a pursuit from a military checkpoint. The Third Division attributed the load to the FARC dissidents' Dagoberto Ramos structure and valued the loss to it at more than 425 million pesos.
Colombian army, navy and police units seized about 2,700 kilograms of suspected marijuana from a bongo remolcador river boat at the Hong Kong wharf in Puerto Asís, Putumayo. Authorities linked the load to the Segunda Marquetalia dissidence's Comandos de Frontera, without naming suspects or giving a value.
Colombian police stopped a vehicle in the urban area of Chinchiná, Caldas, carrying 520 kilograms of marijuana and arrested the person caught in the act, immobilising a car with altered identification systems. President Abelardo de la Espriella announced the haul as part of two operations, the other being 358 kilograms of cocaine found in generators at the port of Cartagena.
Colombian National Police investigators seized 7,452 grams of marijuana in the Los Quindos neighbourhood of Armenia, Quindío, along with 98 boxes of clonazepam. Police said the marijuana was meant for sale in minimum doses at sales points around the city and handed the drugs to the local prosecutor's office; no arrests were reported.
