El Salvador’s security forces have dealt another devastating blow to transnational drug cartels after intercepting 1.362 kilograms of cocaine nearly 1,000 nautical miles off its Pacific coast. The high-seas operation, carried out by the Trident Naval Task Force, resulted in the seizure of 36 drug-filled bundles valued at $34 million and the arrest of two Ecuadorian nationals.
The massive deep-sea operation prevented approximately 4 million doses of cocaine from reaching international street markets. Highlighting the country’s growing law enforcement reach, officials noted that this latest bust pushes El Salvador’s total seizures for the year past 14 tons of cocaine, reinforcing its stance against maritime smuggling routes in the eastern Pacific.
Security Minister Gustavo Villatoro emphasized the strategic scope of the campaign, connecting it to a broader regional security framework known as the “Shield of the Americas.” “We will not tolerate international drug trafficking passing beyond our 200 miles or regional trafficking approaching our shores,” Villatoro declared, adding that the country maintains a zero impunity rate for drug offenses.
Both captured smugglers—identified as Jhony Eugenio Garay Veliz and Pedro Leonardo Delgado Pilligua—have been handed over to El Salvador’s Attorney General’s Office. The suspects face formal prosecution in Salvadoran courts under strict international narcotics trafficking laws without the possibility of returning to their home country.
Defense Minister René Francis Merino Monroy reiterated President Nayib Bukele’s commitment to international cooperation in combating organized crime. “As Salvadorans, we are now a benchmark for security success,” Merino Monroy stated, crediting coordinated operations between the Navy, the Security Cabinet, and prosecutors for turning the nation into a key frontline barrier against global drug cartels.