Over 200 people have been arrested, and

illegal drugs

and precursor

chemicals

valued at $1.6 billion have been seized in a two-month operation against drug trafficking, said the

Interpol

. The

operation Lionfish Hurricane

, took place in April and May across Europe, North America, and Africa, resulting in the confiscation of 615 tons of illegal drugs and chemicals.

The operation was led by an international police agency, based in

Lyon

, France.
The operation led to the arrest of 206 people and the seizure of 65 stolen cars. The authorities also confiscated around 30,000 commercial grade detonators diverted from military or commercial mining. In the jungles of Guyana, they discovered a “narco-sub,” a homemade semi-submersible vessel used to transport cocaine through South American waterways and across the Atlantic.
“The value of drugs seized in this two-month operation is higher than the GDP of some countries, which clearly shows the scale of the problem facing law enforcement,” said Jurgen Stock, head of the 196 member-country organisation, Interpol in a statement. Statistics from the World Bank show fewer than 20 of the world’s smallest countries have economic output of less than $1.6 billion.
Interpol said a record 505 tons of precursor chemicals, used for manufacturing both drugs and explosives, were seized.
The operation, which is part of a series of “Lionfish” operations that have been conducted since 2013, was funded by the British Home Office and involved 31 countries as well as other international organisations.