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LYON, France (AP) \u2014 Interpol says more than 200 people have been arrested and some $1.6 billion worth of illegal drugs and precursor chemicals seized as part of a two-month operation against narcotics trafficking across Europe, North America and Africa.<\/p>\n
The international police organization, based in Lyon, France, said Operation Lionfish Hurricane in April and May led to the seizure of 615 tons of illegal drugs and chemicals.<\/p>\n
In addition, the operation led to the arrest of 206 people and the seizure of 65 stolen cars, some 30,000 commercial-grade detonators diverted from military or commercial mining, and a \u201cnarco-sub\u201d \u2014 a homemade semi-submersible vessel that’s used to transport cocaine through South American waterways and across the Atlantic \u2014 in the jungle of Guyana, Interpol said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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 J\u00fcrgen Stock, head of the 196 member-country organization, in a statement. Statistics from the World Bank show fewer than 20 of the world’s smallest countries have economic output of less that $1.6 billion<\/a>.<\/p>\n Interpol said a record 505 tons of precursor chemicals, used for manufacturing both drugs and explosives, were seized.<\/p>\n The operation, part of a series of \u201cLionfish\u201d operations since 2013, was funded by the British Home Office and involved 31 countries in addition to other international organizations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n