Colombian Navy patrol vessel ARC 20 de Julio carries out an ocean patrol.
(PHOTO COURTESY OF COLOMBIAN NAVY). A post on this class now used by Chile and Colombia and slightly larger class used by Germany and soon Singapore.  

The November 2025 issue of US Naval Institute Proceedings includes an article by the head of the Colombian Navy, Admiral Juan Ricardo Rozo Obregón, that talks about their drug interdiction efforts and the international alliance they have formed to combat international drug smuggling, “which is now a year-round operation that integrates the efforts of 130 institutions from 64 countries and 10 multilateral organizations.”

“The Colombian Navy has achieved significant successes in facing down these threats. For instance, in 2024, the Navy seized 572 metric tons of cocaine—65 percent of the total amount confiscated by Colombian authorities.

“Through efforts aligned by the MOS (Multinational Orion Strategy-Chuck), partner nations have seized 3,830 metric tons of illicit drugs—including cocaine, marijuana, coca base, hashish, and methamphetamines—along with 1,130 vessels, including 81 self-propelled semisubmersibles. These joint efforts have led to 7,456  arrests. To date, these results have cost criminal networks more than $105 billion, prevented 21,966 overdose deaths, and saved $1.427 billion in healthcare costs.”