--- description: The drugs were discovered in a underground bunker on a banana plantation title: Colombian Authorities Seize Historic 8.8 Tons of Cocaine image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8a0fd1e1c4eba19/6988933ee20a8721a8a90d78/colombia-cocaine-seizure.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Colombia](/tag/colombia/) ## Colombia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Colombia Seizes 8.8 Tons of Cocaine, President Says It's 'Biggest' Find in History by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 16, 2016 1:44 PM CUT  A Colombian police officer standing guard over eight tons of seized cocaine in Turbo, Antioquia department, on May 15, 2016. A Colombian police officer standing guard over eight tons of seized cocaine in Turbo, Antioquia department, on May 15, 2016.Policia Nacional HO/AFP/Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 16, 2016 1:44 PM CUT Authorities in Colombia seized [8.8 tons of cocaine from an underground bunker](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/colombia-makes-biggest-seizure-drugs-8-tons-cocaine-found-n574501 "undefined") in a historic move announced Sunday. Colombia’s president Juan Manuel Santos tweeted Sunday that it was their largest quantity of drugs seized in history and called it a “crushing blow” to criminals, according to a translation. > [](https://twitter.com/JuanManSantos/status/731891994558103552) NBC News reports the drugs were held on a banana plantation in the municipality of Turbo, which is near the country’s border with Panama. The drugs are estimated to be worth $240 million. Colombia is one of the world’s largest producers of cocaine. In April, American authorities reported the seizure of [14 tons of cocaine from vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean](http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/08/us/california-coast-guard-cocaine-seizure/ "undefined"), _CNN_ reports. The drugs had been confiscated between January and March of 2016; they are valued at about $400 million. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4336848/colombia-seizes-8-8-tons-of-cocaine-president-says-its-biggest-find-in-history/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4336848/colombia-seizes-8-8-tons-of-cocaine-president-says-its-biggest-find-in-history/"},"headline":"Colombia Seizes 8.8 Tons of Cocaine, President Says It's 'Biggest' Find in History","datePublished":"2016-05-16T13:44:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T17:33:54.172Z","description":"The drugs were discovered in a underground bunker on a banana plantation","url":"https://time.com/4336848/colombia-seizes-8-8-tons-of-cocaine-president-says-its-biggest-find-in-history/","keywords":["Colombia","Drugs","Cocaine"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8a0fd1e1c4eba19/6988933ee20a8721a8a90d78/colombia-cocaine-seizure.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8a0fd1e1c4eba19/6988933ee20a8721a8a90d78/colombia-cocaine-seizure.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"COLOMBIA-DRUG","caption":"A Colombian police officer standing guard over eight tons of seized cocaine in Turbo, Antioquia department, on May 15, 2016.","creditText":"Policia Nacional HO/AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/colombia/","name":"Colombia"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4336848/colombia-seizes-8-8-tons-of-cocaine-president-says-its-biggest-find-in-history/","name":"Colombia Seizes 8.8 Tons of Cocaine, President Says It's 'Biggest' Find in History"}}]}] ```