An estimated US$25 million in cocaine was seized and three foreign nationals have been arrested in Portugal as part of a collaborative operation between the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) based at the US Embassy in Port of Spain.

A release from the embassy said the seizure and arrests occurred on June 14. It said it was the result of months of bilateral work among the DEA agents, officers of the TTPS' vetted unit, the Transnational Organised Crime Unit (TUCO) and the Seaport Cooperation Project (SEACOP). SEACOP is a collaborative initiative with the European Union to fight illicit maritime trafficking.

“This is a major win for the United States and Trinidad and Tobago in our security cooperation to stop the illicit narcotics trade and protect our borders to make our communities safer," US Chargé d’Affaires Dr Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz said.