The Brazilian Federal Police (PF) seized 730 tons of cocaine in 10 years, between 2013 and 2023. During this period, seizures grew by 73.7 percent, according to the 18th Brazilian Public Security Yearbook of non-profit organization Brazilian Public Security Forum. The volume of narcotics seized jumped from 41.7 tons in 2013 to 72.5 tons in 2023. The seizures data is based on information provided by the PF.
Nivio Nascimento, International Relations advisor for the Brazilian Public Security Forum, believes that the increase in drug seizures can be attributed both to the greater effectiveness and productivity of the police and to the drug market buildup, and the ties to other crimes (environmental, smuggling, fraud, and piracy), as well as the growth in cocaine production in the main producing countries (Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia), as noted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
“The peak in cocaine seizures in 2019, which reached 104.6 tons, can be explained by a combination of structural and operational factors. First, it is important to highlight the role of the PF in Brazil, which focuses its investigations mainly on groups that traffic large volumes and have international connections,” Nascimento said. “This means that operations aimed at dismantling large trafficking networks were particularly intensified in 2019, resulting in substantial seizures. These networks, often linked to international markets, operate with large volumes of drugs, which directly contributes to the increase in seizures.”
According to the Yearbook data, released on July 18, border states have the highest accumulated volumes of cocaine seizures, including Paraná, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Amazonas, and Rondônia, which are neighbors of producing countries. States with an outlet to the sea, such as São Paulo and Bahia, which have ports, airports, or important infrastructure for transporting the drug also saw greater seizures. The Yearbook also indicated that the extensive border between Brazil and Bolivia makes the central-west region a strategic point for both the entry and distribution of drugs within Brazil and to other international markets.
“Improved surveillance methods and intelligence operations, combined with greater international cooperation, especially between Brazil and Bolivia, also play a crucial role in this dynamic. Therefore, although movement on the border with Bolivia is a central factor, the increase in seizures in the midwest in 2023 is the result of a confluence of factors, including the effectiveness of security operations and the strategic geography of the region,” Nascimento said.
On July 20, the PF announced that drug seizures at Brazilian airports in 2023 were the highest in a decade, with 792 drug seizures, and more than 700 people arrested. According to the PF, the pace of seizures will continue to rise in 2024. From January to April, authorities carried out 280 seizures.
The Guarantee of Law and Order (GLO), a decree instituted by the federal government to reinforce actions to combat organized crime in ports and airports, bringing together the Armed Forces (Navy, Army, and Air Force), the National Public Security Force, the PF, the Federal Highway Police (PRF), and the Federal Revenue Service, also yielded high seizure rates. The GLO began in November 2023 and ended in June 2024. During the period, authorities seized 279.8 tons of drugs, arrested 3,826 people, and seized or retained 31,500 assets, resulting in an estimated loss of $22 million for organized crime.
“The operation allowed the federal government to operate in ports and airports of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, as well as on the Brazilian side of Lake Itaipu and to reinforce monitoring in Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraná,” the Ministry of Justice and Public Security told Diálogo in a statement. According to the Ministry, the knowledge and the intelligence developed and improved during the GLO represent a legacy for public security management in the country.
For Nascimento, the work of the military in conjunction with the security forces of the producing countries is fundamental to the success of operations to combat drug trafficking, especially in border regions. According to him, international cooperation between Brazil and countries like Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia could be a decisive factor in increasing seizures and dismantling trafficking networks.
“This partnership should include the exchange of intelligence information, which is crucial for identifying and interrupting trafficking routes before the drugs enter national territory or are exported to other markets. In addition, joint operations between the military and police forces of the countries involved ensure a more coordinated and efficient response, meeting the challenge of monitoring and protecting extensive border areas often used by traffickers,” Nascimento said.
In a statement to Diálogo, the Ministry of Defense said that it participates in interministerial actions that carry out operations with public security agencies to combat crimes in border areas, such as Operation Agate (Operação Ágata). Some of these operations are even carried out jointly with the Armed Forces of countries bordering Brazil.
Conducted since 2011 and coordinated by the Brazilian Armed Forces’ Joint Chiefs of Staff, Agate aims to strengthen the security of Brazil’s nearly 17,000 kilometers of land borders and prevent and curb criminal activities on the country’s border with 10 South American countries.
Throughout the operation, military personnel from the Brazilian Navy, Army, and Air Force carry out tactical missions aimed at curbing crimes such as drug trafficking, smuggling, and embezzlement, arms and ammunition trafficking, environmental crimes, illegal immigration, and mining. The actions range from airspace surveillance to patrol and inspection operations on the main rivers and roads leading into the country.
