Operation ZAFIRO: the Largest Coordinated General Aviation Operation to Date

What is Operation ZAFIRO?

Operation ZAFIRO is the third international coordinated operation under the COLIBRI Project, a partnership between the European Union (EU) and the World Customs Organization (WCO). The operation concluded on 14 June 2026 after a 14-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 general aviation given that small private aircraft are increasingly used by organised crime groups to move illicit goods across borders with minimal oversight. The growing misuse of general aviation represents an evolving challenge within global border security and increased international coordination is essential to address it. The preliminary results from Operation ZAFIRO demonstrate the impact of coordinated and targeted efforts in combatting illicit trade.

How was Operation ZAFIRO coordinated?

Three Operational Coordination Units (OCUs), one in Lisbon and two regional OCUs in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) and Buenos Aires (Argentina) were activated simultaneously for the first time. This ensured real-time coordination.

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. The Abidjan and Buenos Aires OCUs were staffed by regional coordinators, WCO accredited experts, national focal points, and intelligence analysts who ensured 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

That network makes it possible to cross-check hypotheses, share emerging patterns and coordinate risk criteria between countries in real time, so that each individual analysis feeds into a transregional picture of criminal routes and logistics chains.

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 follow-up by operational teams, providing direct analytical support to 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.

"Its fundamental added value is that it does not work in isolation, but as part of an international network of analysts specialized in general aviation. That network makes it possible to cross-check hypotheses, share emerging patterns and coordinate risk criteria between countries in real time, so that each individual analysis feeds into a transregional picture of criminal routes and logistics chains."

Preliminary results

Preliminary results from the operation include 1836 General Aviation events registered on the Geoportal, 4 seizures of narcotics and other illicit goods totalling approximately 1.2 tonnes, 1 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.

Building on 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 general aviation controls that enhance detection and control capabilities and therefore operational effectiveness.

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 COLIBRI?

The COLIBRI Project, funded by the European Union (EU) under 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.