By: Staff Writer
August 21, 2026
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) announced the successful completion of Operation Eclipse in seizing $54.4M USD in illegal narcotics in the Caribbean waters.
The intelligence-led operation, executed throughout the month of May 2026, disrupted multi-jurisdictional smuggling loops that have long plagued the region. Supported by the United States’ Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the mission brought together an unprecedented coalition including 14 CARICOM Member States, seven Associate Members, and international allies from Canada, Colombia, France, the United Kingdom, and INTERPOL.
The operation targeted multi-jurisdictional smuggling routes and trafficking networks operating across the Caribbean and beyond.
Authorities coordinated the operation through a central fusion cell established at the CARICOM IMPACS Joint Regional Communications Centre (JRCC), allowing officials to track maritime threats in real time.
During the four-week interdiction phase, authorities generated 82 active intelligence cases, monitored 59 vessels of interest, processed 17 critical intelligence reports and carried out 24 successful seizure operations.
This latest interception has drawn significant attention due to the vessel’s prior history of high-value drug seizures at the same port. On October 4, 2022, the MV C Elizabeth was detained at the Basseterre port after arriving from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, leading to one of the region’s largest recorded busts.
In that 2022 operation, authorities discovered approximately 800 kilograms of cocaine and over 12 pounds of cannabis hidden within the walls of the vessel’s cabin.
The cocaine seized during the 2022 incident carried a staggering estimated street value of EC$71.28 million, which is approximately US$26.4 million.
That previous case resulted in the arrest of five crew members and subsequent prison sentences for four men on various drug possession and importation offences.