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Spanish police announced Monday the largest cocaine seizure at sea in the force’s history after intercepting a Europe-bound container ship in the Atlantic Ocean carrying almost 10 tonnes of the drug hidden in salt shipments.
Officers from the Special Operations Group (GEO) boarded the Cameroon-flagged merchant vessel last week after it departed Brazil, seizing 9,994 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in 294 packages, police said in a statement.
The 13 crew members were arrested and a firearm used to protect the stash was seized during the operation involving the special anti-drugs prosecutor’s office, authorities said.
The vessel ran out of fuel after the raid and remained at sea for almost 12 hours, prompting Spain’s maritime rescue service SASEMAR to tow it to the Canary Islands.
The operation, codenamed White Tide, involved the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre-Narcotics (MAOC), the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the UK National Crime Agency, the Brazilian Federal Police, Spain’s intelligence centre CITCO and authorities from France and Portugal.
Police said the investigation targeted a multinational organisation allegedly dedicated to exporting large quantities of cocaine from South America to Europe.
The seizure marks the largest maritime cocaine bust since 1999, when police impounded 7,500 kilogrammes from the vessel Tammsaare. Police described Monday’s operation as a historic blow to international drug trafficking networks.
Spain’s close ties with Latin America make it a key entry point for drugs into Europe.
In 2024, Spanish police seized 13 tonnes of cocaine from a container ship that arrived at the southern port of Algeciras from Ecuador, the country’s largest-ever haul of the drug.