The Nicaraguan Army reported on Friday, June 19, 2026, that it seized 475 packages of cocaine in the municipality of San Carlos, on the border with Costa Rica, but that it could not arrest the suspects, who fled in a boat.
The drugs were seized on the banks of the Frío River, municipality of San Carlos, department of Río San Juan, border with Costa Rica, where the suspects who were traveling in a boat, after detecting the presence of Army troops, fled, leaving the drugs abandoned, according to the military report.
The 475 rectangular packages containing cocaine were hidden in 19 bags on board the boat.
The operation was carried out by the Southern Military Detachment of the Nicaraguan Armed Forces, which was carrying out operational service in the area, he said.
The authorities, who did not report the weight of the cocaine seized in this operation, assured that the drugs and the vehicle were handed over to the competent authority for the prosecution of the case.
The Nicaraguan authorities maintain that they are executing a strategy they call ‘Containment Wall’, which aims to prevent the circulation of drugs or money linked to drug trafficking in population centers, for which they maintain “close ties of cooperation” with the countries of the region, as well as the United States, Mexico and Russia.
Nicaragua: cocaine “warehouse”
In May 2026, the report Nicaragua: the cocaine “warehouse” that mocks the Army’s “retaining wall”, published by CONFIDENCIAL, recapitulated how more than 4,300 kilograms of cocaine broke the so-called “containment wall” of the Army and left Nicaragua, but were detained before reaching their destination: the United States and Europe, according to reports of seizures by authorities in El Salvador, Russia, Italy, Honduras and the United Kingdom.
There were 4,374 kilos (kg) of cocaine that left Nicaragua between January 2024 and April 2026. The drug – for a total value of 283.86 million dollars – was seized in shipments that were in boats, containers and vans, according to the records of the five countries.
The Salvadoran Minister of Public Security and Justice, Gustavo Villatoro, defined El Salvador as the “Wall of the Pacific” and, on six occasions, has mentioned Nicaragua as the origin of the seized drugs.
In this regard, the Nicaraguan Army assured in its statements that “in Nicaragua there are no drug cartels, we do not have gangs, we are not a warehouse for drug trafficking and we continue to strengthen our ‘Retaining Wall’ State strategy in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime.”
*With information from EFE
