Brazilian and US authorities intercepted a fishing vessel in the Atlantic carrying more than 3.7 tonnes of cocaine, arresting four Brazilian nationals, according to federal police and naval officials in Belém. The operation, disclosed on Monday, occurred roughly 1,500 kilometres off the coast of Pará state near Suriname on 7 July. The cocaine, packed in over 100 bales and concealed in the hull, was bound for Guinea in West Africa, investigators said. The US Drug Enforcement Administration and the Joint Interagency Task Force South provided intelligence support.

In the eastern Pacific, the Colombian navy, also working with the US task force, seized 212.8 kilogrammes of cocaine from a shrimp boat off Chocó department and detained three Colombian men. Half a world away, Indonesian customs and police announced they had thwarted a smuggling attempt from Malaysia, confiscating 10.8 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, 858 grammes of ketamine, 472 grammes of MDMA, and nearly 500 cartridges containing etomidate. One suspect was arrested in Bengkalis, Riau province, and authorities estimated the street value at 25.6 billion rupiah.

On land, Mexican prosecutors reported two separate operations in Tamaulipas state: a search in Reynosa netted 26,000 litres of contaminated gasoil and two arrests, while a man received an eight-year prison sentence for transporting 262 kilogrammes of methamphetamine hidden in sacks of onions. In São Paulo state, Brazil, military police seized 265 kilogrammes of marijuana from a car on the Castello Branco highway and arrested the driver.

In a case that underscores the widening regulatory debate over herbal substances, the Los Angeles County medical examiner has deferred a cause of death for Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, who died on 11 May at age 29. Body-camera footage published by US media showed Arkansas police stopping Clarke six weeks earlier and finding bags labelled as kratom, a plant extract banned in that state but legal in neighbouring Tennessee. Officers also reported a THC vape pen. The medical examiner’s office said additional testing is under way and could take months. All other investigations remain active, with authorities working to trace supply chains and additional suspects.