Operation Tiburon

{{Short description|Counterdrug operation}}

{{Infobox military conflict

| conflict = Operation Tiburon

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| partof = War on Drugs

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| date = November 1980 – February 5, 1982

| place = Colombia

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| result = Temporary disruption of marijuana trafficking

• Over 400 traffickers arrested
• More than 90 vessels seized
• 6.4 million pounds of marijuana confiscated

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| combatant1 = {{flagu|United States}}

• US Coast Guard
• US Customs Service
• Drug Enforcement Administration

{{flagu|Colombia}}

• Colombian Armed Forces
• Colombian National Police

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• Marijuana traffickers
• Drug cartels

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| commander1 = {{flagicon|United States}} William French Smith

| commander2 = Unknown

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Operation Tiburon, (Tiburon (es:Tiburón) is Spanish for "Shark,") was a coordinated counterdrug operation between three different US agencies – Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), US Coast Guard, US Customs Service – and Colombian authorities, resulting in the seizure of approximately 6.4 million pounds of marijuana coming from Colombia, about 20% of the total amount that enter the United States annually.{{Cite web |title='Shark' operation snares 6.4 millions of pounds of pot – UPI Archives |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/02/05/Shark-operation-snares-64-millions-of-pounds-of-pot/7523381733200/ |access-date=2024-05-25 |website=UPI |language=en}} Of the total, 4.7 million were confiscated by the Colombian government while the remaining 1.7 million were done by US personnel.{{Cite news |last=Upi |date=1982-02-05 |title=COLOMBIA AIDS U.S. IN A DRUG SEIZURE |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/05/us/colombia-aids-us-in-a-drug-seizure.html |access-date=2024-05-25 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} The operation concluded on February 5, 1982, when US Attorney General William French Smith announced "the most successful international marijuana interdiction effort to date" at Coast Guard headquarters. Along with the pot seized, 495 people were arrested and 95 vessels were seized.{{Cite web |title=The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) 1980–1985 |url=https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/1980-1985_p_49-58.pdf}}

Conducted in a 14-month-long period involving three raids, the operation is considered to be the most successful counterdrug operation to date, with record seizures as of 1982.{{Cite web |title=Most successful counter-drug operation |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-successful-counter-drug-operation |website=Guinness World Records}} The Attorney General commended the operation as a "classic example" of how successful collaboration between different agencies and governments is key to tackling large-scale drug trafficking operations.