Spanish police seized 30 tons of cocaine from a vessel near the Canary Islands and arrested its entire crew of 23 without bail as part of the largest drug seizure operation in European history. This was reported by the High Court of Spain on Thursday. The volume of the seizure more than doubled Spain's previous record. This is reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
The Comoros-flagged vessel Arconian was intercepted by the Guardia Civil police on May 1. The court estimated the value of the cargo at over 812 million euros ($956 million).
The seizure significantly exceeds the previous European record of 25 tons of cocaine found by German police in the port of Hamburg in June 2024. It also more than doubles Spain's record of 13 tons discovered last year in a shipment of bananas from Ecuador in Algeciras.
The operation was conducted jointly with American and Dutch law enforcement. Police plan to release further details on Friday.
Investigators believe the cocaine was intended to be transferred at sea to high-speed boats and then transported to mainland Spain. Firearms and ammunition were also found on board, and six crew members were discovered hiding during the storming of the vessel.
Seventeen crew members are citizens of the Philippines, while the six found hiding on board are citizens of the Netherlands and Suriname.
The court ordered all crew members to remain in custody without bail, citing the severity of the alleged crimes, the risk of flight, and the possibility of continued criminal activity during the investigation.
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