Edition O'028

Drug News Roundup

Monday, September 21, 2026 · 10 stories

Covering reporting published since the Sept 20 edition, roughly Sept 17-21, with several local U.S. busts running back to incident dates of Sept 17-18 where reporting lagged. No second SOUTHCOM strike was found beyond the Sept 19 Caribbean strike already covered in yesterday's edition, so the campaign's running total of 69 strikes and at least 231 deaths carries forward unchanged. Several candidate stories were checked and dropped as stale or unverifiable: a widely syndicated "DEA agents seize 300+ pounds of cocaine" story datelined Sept 20 in west-suburban Chicago is the same Cook County case (339 lbs, $700,000 cash, two men charged) already logged on Sept 19; a "DEA seizes 3,552 lbs of methamphetamine in Fontana/Norco" story recirculating this week was actually a 2022 case; a Sacramento meth traffic-stop story dated on its face to Sept 18 was in fact from Sept 18, 2025; a Dayton, Ohio 11-kg fentanyl/cocaine safe seizure was a March 2026 case; a DEA-Seattle social media post claiming a 3,284-kg cocaine seizure off Ecuador gave no date or location and could not be verified as current; and reporting on a Defense Secretary order to strike survivors of a boat strike, and congressional calls for his resignation, traces back to a Sept. 2, 2025 incident and a Washington Post report from late 2025 that continues to generate follow-up coverage, not a new development from this window. Colombia's Sept. 19 nationwide 24-hour tally (2,411 kg marijuana, 900 kg cocaine, 75 kg coca base) and the government's cumulative 40.6-tonne, 44-day Armada figure were both left out of today's tally as vaguer aggregates layered on top of seizures already counted in prior editions; only the specific, dated Colombia and Brazil events below are counted. Ecuador's Manta curfew seizure is carried in the ongoing section with only the new Sept 20 tonnage counted toward the tally, since the initial 1.51-tonne find was already logged and tallied on Sept 20.

1National / Federal (US)

San Ysidro border officers pull 181 pounds of cocaine from a hidden vehicle compartment

181 lbs cocaine (82 kg)San Diego, California

CBP officers at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego found roughly 181 pounds of cocaine hidden in a non-factory compartment of a vehicle during a secondary inspection on Sept. 18. San Diego Field Operations Director Sidney Aki announced the seizure on social media; CBP did not release the driver's identity or say whether an arrest followed.

SourceCBP / Hoodline

Pixel-art scene of the seized items: 181 lbs cocaine (82 kg) — 8 × 10 kg ≈ 82 kg cocaine

2Local US Arrests

Massachusetts troopers pull 20 kilograms of fentanyl and $42,000 from a Lawrence house

20 kg fentanylLawrence, Massachusetts1 arrested

Massachusetts State Police's Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team, working with Lawrence police, searched a residence on Sept. 17 and recovered about 20 kilograms of suspected fentanyl, roughly $42,000 in cash, and equipment for processing and packaging narcotics. Lawrence resident Miguel Soto-Castillo was arrested and charged with fentanyl possession following an investigation that began in August.

SourceMassachusetts State Police / Shrewsbury Post

Pixel-art scene of the seized items: 20 kg fentanyl — 40 × 500 g fentanyl

Five-month 'No Pill Left Behind' probe nets three arrests and pressed fentanyl pills in Pinetops, NC

126 g fentanyl, 1,785 pillsPinetops, North Carolina3 arrested

North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and ATF closed a five-month investigation on Sept. 17 with three arrests in Edgecombe County, seizing more than 126 grams of fentanyl, 1,785 pills pressed to mimic prescription medication, and three firearms. Shertavion Pitt, Caleb Davis and Vinsa Phillips face trafficking and distribution charges; Phillips is additionally charged with distributing within 1,000 feet of a school.

SourceNC SBI / WCTI

Pixel-art scene of the seized items: 126 g fentanyl, 1,785 pills — 126 g fentanyl · plus the tablets

3South America

Colombian army captures La Cordillera's hitman chief 'alias Cuba' in Risaralda

Dosquebradas, Risaralda, Colombia1 captured

The Colombian Army's Gaula Militar, the Prosecutor's office and national police captured a man known as "alias Cuba," identified as head of hitmen for the La Cordillera criminal band, in Dosquebradas, Risaralda, on Sept. 20. Authorities linked him to homicides, extortion and micro-trafficking against merchants and transporters in the Pereira metropolitan area, and said a related sweep against the group's armed wing has captured 15 more members and more than 20 firearms.

SourceColombian Army / Infobae Colombia

Pixel-art scene: charges filed in federal court — charges filed in federal court

Brazilian police find 708 kilos of pressed marijuana hidden in a Toledo farmhouse attic

708 kg cannabisToledo, Paraná, Brazil1 detained

An integrated team from the Federal Police, Paraná's FICCO task force and the Military Police's BPFRON searched a rural property in Toledo, Paraná, on Sept. 20 after an anonymous tip and found about 708 kilograms of pressed marijuana in blue-wrapped bundles hidden in an attic space, along with two firearms. One resident was detained during the search.

SourcePolícia Federal / CATVE

Pixel-art scene of the seized items: 708 kg cannabis — 28 × 25 kg cannabis

4Rest of World

Gunfire erupts as a Vancouver Island task force seizes 19 kilograms of fentanyl in Victoria

19 kg fentanylVictoria, British Columbia, Canada

British Columbia's Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit and the RCMP carried out a drug-trafficking search in Victoria on Sept. 18 that recovered about 19 kilograms of suspected fentanyl, two loaded firearms and a cattle prod; a gun was discharged during the operation, though no injuries were reported. Cash and cellphones tied to the alleged trafficking were also seized.

SourceCFSEU-BC / CTV News

Pixel-art scene of the seized items: 19 kg fentanyl — 38 × 500 g fentanyl

Thai police unravel a Laos-linked meth network after two Buddhist monks are caught with pills

49,400 meth pillsBuriram, Thailand7 arrested

A Sept. 18 traffic stop in Buriram province turned up two monks carrying methamphetamine pills, and the ensuing investigation by provincial police, border patrol and soldiers rolled up a wider network, ultimately seizing about 49,400 meth pills and arresting seven people, including four monks who were defrocked. Investigators said phone messages pointed to a Laos-based supplier directing distribution across several Buriram and Khon Kaen districts, and the temple's abbot admitted using temple funds to buy pills.

SourceKhaosod English

Pixel-art scene of the seized items: 49,400 meth pills — plus the tablets

Belgian customs find cocaine dissolved into liquid soap bound from Colombia to Croatia

Antwerp, Belgium

Antwerp customs intercepted a container of 450 boxes of liquid soap shipped from Colombia on Aug. 24 after manipulated container ID numbers drew suspicion; testing confirmed the soap held dissolved cocaine, though prosecutors said lab analysis to determine the exact quantity was still underway when the find was disclosed on Sept. 20. The shipment had been due to continue by road to Croatia.

SourceAntwerp Public Prosecutor's Office / Brussels Morning

Pixel-art scene: container traffic searched at a port — container traffic searched at a port

OR Tambo Airport nets its third suspected drug mule in three weeks, this one from Ghana

OR Tambo Airport, South Africa1 arrested

A 52-year-old South African man arriving from Accra was stopped in an intelligence-led search at OR Tambo International Airport on Sept. 20 and found carrying bullet-shaped packages of suspected heroin valued at more than 2 million rand. He is the third suspected courier arrested at the airport in as many weeks and is due in Kempton Park Magistrates' Court on trafficking charges.

SourceSouth African Police Service / EWN

5Ongoing Stories with New Developments

Ecuador's Manta curfew sweep finds a second buried cocaine stash, pushing the haul to 2.9 tonnes

1.41 t cocaine (new)Manta, Ecuador

Building on the 1.51-tonne find reported in yesterday's edition, Ecuadorian police on Sept. 20 broke into a second hidden storage site in the same Pacoche-Ligüiqui sector of Manta and recovered 42 more jute sacks holding 1,250 cocaine packages — about 1.41 additional tonnes — pushing the curfew campaign's cocaine total to 2.9 tonnes. Since the nighttime curfew began Sept. 17 across four provinces, police say they have arrested 289 people for violating it and 73 more on charges including extortion and organized crime.

SourcePolicía Nacional / Infobae

Pixel-art scene of the seized items: 1.41 t cocaine (new) — 14 × 100 kg cocaine

2026 Running Tally

Total weight intercepted across every story covered so far this year, through Sep 21, 2026. Counts seizures only — sentencings and indictments are not double-counted — and resets to zero each 1 January. Earlier years are kept below.

129 t 28 editions · 55 places · 14 substances

United States

Puerto Rico1 substance3.3 t

cocaine3.3 t

Texas5 substances1.6 t

methamphetamine1.4 t
cocaine251 kg
heroin16 kg
cannabis1.8 kg
mdma640 g

California5 substances1.3 t

methamphetamine1.2 t
cocaine92 kg
fentanyl43 kg
heroin1 kg
mdma68 g

Illinois2 substances686 kg

khat532 kg
cocaine154 kg

Georgia4 substances344 kg

cannabis334 kg
carfentanil9.1 kg
methamphetamine450 g
fentanyl110 g

New York3 substances284 kg

cocaine277 kg
fentanyl7.6 kg
fentanyl/heroin250 g

Maryland2 substances152 kg

cocaine140 kg
fentanyl12 kg

Indiana1 substance126 kg

cocaine126 kg

Pennsylvania1 substance113 kg

cannabis113 kg

Florida4 substances43 kg

cannabis20 kg
cocaine10 kg
fentanyl9.5 kg
methamphetamine4.2 kg

Minnesota2 substances28 kg

methamphetamine27 kg
cocaine883 g

Massachusetts2 substances22 kg

fentanyl22 kg
cocaine316 g

Kentucky2 substances20 kg

methamphetamine20 kg
fentanyl60 g

Mississippi5 substances17 kg

cannabis9.5 kg
methamphetamine4.8 kg
cocaine3 kg
mdma140 g
fentanyl25 g

North Carolina3 substances10 kg

cocaine8.2 kg
cannabis1.8 kg
fentanyl126 g

South Carolina2 substances7.9 kg

fentanyl4.1 kg
methamphetamine3.8 kg

Wisconsin3 substances6.7 kg

cannabis4.5 kg
cocaine1.8 kg
methamphetamine370 g

Missouri2 substances6 kg

cocaine3.5 kg
fentanyl2.5 kg

Virginia3 substances5.6 kg

methamphetamine5.3 kg
cocaine190 g
fentanyl170 g

North Dakota2 substances5.6 kg

methamphetamine5.4 kg
cocaine155 g

West Virginia3 substances4.8 kg

methamphetamine3.6 kg
fentanyl909 g
cocaine233 g

Tennessee3 substances4.7 kg

fentanyl2.2 kg
methamphetamine2 kg
cocaine500 g

Alabama3 substances3.3 kg

methamphetamine2.3 kg
cocaine1 kg
fentanyl21 g

Nebraska2 substances2.4 kg

methamphetamine2.4 kg
cocaine17 g

Ohio3 substances2 kg

cocaine2 kg
fentanyl10 g
heroin3 g

International

Mexico4 substances21.0 t

methamphetamine19.2 t
cannabis1.8 t
fentanyl19 kg
heroin7.7 kg

Brazil4 substances20.6 t

cannabis17.6 t
cocaine2.9 t
coca base84 kg
hashish45 kg

Spain2 substances17.3 t

hashish11.3 t
cocaine6.1 t

Colombia4 substances17.0 t

cocaine10.7 t
cannabis5.5 t
coca base684 kg
heroin15 kg

Ecuador2 substances13.7 t

cocaine12.8 t
cannabis900 kg

Nigeria3 substances7.0 t

cannabis7.0 t
methamphetamine2 kg
cocaine350 g

Portugal1 substance5.3 t

hashish5.3 t

Chile2 substances5.1 t

cannabis5.1 t
cocaine7.2 kg

France1 substance3.9 t

cocaine3.9 t

Indonesia1 substance2.6 t

methamphetamine2.6 t

Romania3 substances1.6 t

hashish1.3 t
cannabis228 kg
cocaine114 kg

Argentina3 substances1.3 t

cannabis946 kg
cocaine321 kg
mdma52 kg

Venezuela1 substance905 kg

cannabis905 kg

Peru2 substances698 kg

cocaine448 kg
coca base250 kg

Pakistan4 substances508 kg

hashish301 kg
heroin202 kg
opium2.4 kg
methamphetamine2 kg

Sri Lanka1 substance463 kg

methamphetamine463 kg

Uruguay2 substances408 kg

cocaine305 kg
coca base103 kg

Bolivia1 substance405 kg

cocaine405 kg

South Africa1 substance341 kg

cocaine341 kg

Costa Rica1 substance312 kg

cocaine312 kg

Thailand1 substance166 kg

methamphetamine166 kg

India5 substances154 kg

methamphetamine72 kg
cannabis45 kg
amphetamine17 kg
mdma14 kg
heroin5.7 kg

Hong Kong2 substances141 kg

cocaine76 kg
ketamine65 kg

Afghanistan1 substance101 kg

opium101 kg

Malaysia3 substances98 kg

methamphetamine86 kg
mdma11 kg
ketamine630 g

Canada5 substances34 kg

fentanyl22 kg
mdma6.9 kg
cocaine2.5 kg
methamphetamine2.2 kg
cannabis479 g

Philippines1 substance34 kg

methamphetamine34 kg

Ireland2 substances26 kg

cocaine22 kg
cannabis4 kg

Italy1 substance17 kg

methamphetamine17 kg

South Korea2 substances1.8 kg

methamphetamine1.2 kg
ketamine500 g