More than 11 tonnes of illegal drugs were intercepted across the Dutch Caribbean during 2025, as regional authorities intensified efforts to combat narcotics trafficking in one of the world’s busiest transshipment corridors.

According to the 2025 annual report of the Coast Guard for the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean, authorities seized 5,783 kilogrammes of cocaine and 5,450 kilogrammes of cannabis during operations throughout the year.

The Coast Guard said the seizures were made through a combination of maritime patrols, radar surveillance, aircraft operations and joint missions involving international security partners, including the United States Coast Guard and the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S).

Despite the large volume of narcotics intercepted, the report noted that overall drug seizures declined again compared to previous peak years.

Officials attributed part of the decline to shifting regional security priorities linked to tensions surrounding Venezuela and the ABC islands — Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. 

From August 2025, the Dutch Caribbean defence station vessel was increasingly reassigned to monitor security developments in the southern Caribbean instead of supporting international counter-narcotics operations.

The vessel, often deployed alongside a helicopter, is considered one of the Coast Guard’s key assets due to its long operational range and advanced detection systems.

The report also pointed to increased military activity by the United States in nearby waters under Operation Southern Spear, which authorities believe may have contributed to a noticeable reduction in suspicious trafficking movements south of the ABC islands during the second half of the year.

However, the Coast Guard stressed it was not involved in the US-led military operation targeting criminal networks linked to Venezuela and the removal of the country’s President Nicolas Maduro from power.

Beyond narcotics interdiction, the Coast Guard conducted 1,713 control operations during 2025 and encountered 69 undocumented migrants, most of whom were reportedly from Venezuela.

Authorities said migration pressures from Venezuela did not increase significantly during the year, while incidents involving suspected human trafficking and smuggling actually declined.

The Coast Guard also responded to 258 search and rescue incidents, assisting 443 people across the Caribbean waters under its jurisdiction. The organisation recorded 14 deaths and 38 people reported missing at sea during the year.

The report described the operational environment as increasingly demanding, with regional geopolitical tensions, ageing equipment and staffing shortages placing pressure on maritime security operations.

Officials said some patrol cutters spent fewer days at sea than planned because of maintenance demands and a shortage of specialised personnel.

The Coast Guard warned that the Dutch Caribbean remains highly vulnerable to organised transnational crime because of its geographic position between South American drug-producing nations and major consumer markets in North America and Europe.