On 19 June 2026, the World Customs Organization (WCO) Operation ZAFIRO, the third international coordinated operation under the WCO-European Union (EU) COLIBRI Project, funded by the EU, concluded on 14 June 2026 after a 16-day mobilisation involving Customs administrations, law enforcement agencies, Civil Aviation Authorities, military forces, and intelligence and investigative units from 19 participants across Latin America, the Caribbean and West and Central Africa. The operation focused on GA, given that small private aircraft are increasingly used by organised crime groups (OCGs) to move illicit goods across borders with minimal oversight. The growing misuse of GA poses an evolving challenge to global border security, and increased international coordination is essential to address it. The preliminary results from Operation ZAFIRO demonstrate the impact of coordinated, targeted efforts in combating illicit trade.
How was Operation ZAFIRO coordinated?
Real‑time coordination was ensured through three Operational Coordination Units (OCUs) activated simultaneously for the first time in the project: the Central OCU in Lisbon and two regional OCUs in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) and Buenos Aires (Argentina).
The Lisbon OCU operated from the headquarters of the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC‑N), whose long‑standing partnership with COLIBRI and expertise in intelligence‑driven counter‑narcotics operations provided a decisive operational advantage. Regional coordinators staffed the Abidjan and Buenos Aires OCUs, WCO Accredited Experts, national focal points and intelligence analysts, ensuring round‑the‑clock coverage across multiple time zones, enhancing situational awareness, and supporting rapid, coordinated responses to emerging risks in general aviation.
Deploying the COLIBRI analyst network
One of the distinguishing features of ZAFIRO was the active deployment of the COLIBRI analyst network – trained national officers who applied risk-analysis methodologies and open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques to identify suspicious flight patterns and support real-time decision-making during the operation.
Working in close coordination with the three OCUs, analysts processed flight data and information drawn from national databases alongside the WCO Geoportal and CENcomm platforms. By cross-referencing multiple data sources, they identified inconsistencies and flagged anomalies for operational teams’ follow-up, providing direct analytical support for controls carried out on the ground.
“The analyst’s role is unique because it acts as a bridge between dispersed information and operational action,” said Mauricio Jauregui, WCO Accredited Expert and COLIBRI national focal point from Argentina Customs. “Its fundamental added value is that it does not work in isolation, but as part of an international network of analysts specialised in general aviation. That network enables cross-checking of hypotheses, sharing of emerging patterns, and coordination of risk criteria across countries in real time, so that each analysis feeds into a transregional picture of criminal routes and logistics chains.
More countries, more resources, more connections
The inter-agency composition of each national team reflects the COLIBRI model, which is built on the premise that effective general aviation control requires close cooperation and coordinated action among all relevant national administrations.
The operation also saw increased use of CENcomm, the WCO’s encrypted communications platform, for real-time information exchange between field teams and coordination units – a sign of growing confidence in secure digital communication tools among partner administrations.
Preliminary results
Preliminary results from the operation include 1836 general aviation events registered on the geoportal, four seizures of narcotics and other illicit goods totalling approximately 1.2 tonnes, one aircraft impounded and 77 clandestine runways identified.
With the operational phase now concluded, COLIBRI will move into the post-operation consolidation phase: collecting final data from all 19 partner countries, validating results and preparing the operation’s official report, expected in September 2026.
Perspectives from the field
During Operation ZAFIRO, national focal points and analysts managed chains of alerts on general aviation aircraft crossing multiple jurisdictions with significant risk profiles. From the OCU, initial information was consolidated and enriched with data on previous routes, stopovers, operational records and possible logistical links. Then it retransmitted in a structured way to other national contact points and the Central OCU, coordinating time windows and control capacities in each transit state.
“That coordination prevented information from being lost between jurisdiction changes and allowed the following countries to plan more thorough and focused controls,” said Jauregui. “It showed the added value of having a central and regional OCU structure that organises and gives continuity to the operational flow of intelligence.”
On the tools side, the geoportal mobile application stood out as a key development. For the first time, field agents carrying out general aviation controls had a purpose-built tool to register operational data in real time, geolocate interventions and feed directly into the information base used by analysts. “This not only increases the quality and timeliness of the data,” Jauregui noted, “but integrates field personnel into the full intelligence cycle, moving them from being mere executors of controls to active producers of structured information on general aviation.”
Building the results
Operation ZAFIRO demonstrated the strategic importance of joint international exercises, achieving an unprecedented level of participation and operational resources across all partner countries, supported by a remarkably high deployment of national personnel and assets. This strong collective engagement shows that when countries coordinate their actions, share intelligence and apply analysis‑led decision‑making, general aviation can be effectively monitored and controlled.
The evaluation of COLIBRI ZAFIRO will now help guide future activities, ensuring that upcoming actions continue to build towards regular, coordinated and intelligence‑driven GA controls that enhance detection and control capabilities and, therefore, operational effectiveness.
By strengthening their ability to detect and address illicit GA activities, partner countries enhance the security of their airspace and territories, reduce opportunities for criminal networks and contribute to supply‑chain integrity and the broader protection of society, a key strategic objective of the WCO and the Customs community.
As the third international operation under the COLIBRI Project, ZAFIRO builds on the momentum created by Operation Rutilant (2023) and Operation Paramuno (2025), further consolidating the capacity of national administrations to monitor and control general aviation as part of a long‑term collaborative strategy.
BACKGROUND – What is the COLIBRI Project?
The WCO COLIBRI Project, funded by the European Union (EU) under the EU Global Threats programme, strengthens the capacity of Customs administrations and law enforcement agencies in 19 partner countries to detect, intercept and report illicit trafficking via general aviation.
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