Brazilian Police Seize Drug-Laden Aircraft From Venezuela as U.S. Presses Anti-Narcotics Mission in Caribbean

Brazilian authorities said on Thursday they had seized 380 kilograms of marijuana from a small aircraft that entered the country's airspace from Venezuela and attempted an emergency landing in the Amazon region. The incident comes amid heightened U.S. military operations in the Caribbean aimed at counter-narcotics enforcement and increased scrutiny of Venezuela's alleged ties to drug trafficking.

According to Brazil's Federal Police, the twin-engine Beechcraft 58 Baron was detected on radar after crossing into Brazilian territory without authorization on September 10. Venezuelan new site El Pitazo reports that the Air Force then scrambled two A-29 Super Tucano jets to intercept the aircraft. The pilot refused orders to divert to a nearby landing strip and instead descended to tree-top level before ditching the plane into the Balbina reservoir near Presidente Figueiredo, Amazonas state.

Federal Police officers arrived by helicopter and recovered the marijuana, described as a high-potency variety known as skank, from inside the aircraft. The pilot evaded capture and remains at large. The seized drugs were transferred to police headquarters in Manaus for further investigation.

The episode follows recent regional tension after the United States increased its military presence in the Caribbean. Washington has deployed eight missile-equipped naval vessels, a nuclear-powered submarine, and F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of what it describes as an expanded counter-narcotics mission. Last week, U.S. officials said they struck a boat carrying alleged members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua criminal group, prompting sharp condemnation from Caracas.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva voiced opposition to the U.S. deployment earlier this week. In remarks at a virtual BRICS summit on September 8, Lula said that "the presence of armed forces of the world's greatest power in the Caribbean Sea is a source of tension incompatible with the region's vocation for peace."