Spanish Police Seize Record Cocaine Shipload Off Canary Islands

Spanish Police Seize Record Amount of Cocaine

On Friday, Spanish Civil Guard intercepted a vessel in international waters off Spain’s Canary Islands. Around 20 people were arrested during the operation, according to sources from the main AUGC union.

The seized cocaine amounts between 35 and 40 tons, making it “a historic seizure,” as the ship was found completely stuffed with bales of the drug. The boat had left Sierra Leone’s Freetown for Benghazi in Libya but was likely to offload the drugs onto smaller vessels for distribution across Europe due to logistical reasons.

Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska described the seizure as one of the biggest, both nationally and internationally. However, further details were not provided due to legal secrecy surrounding the investigation.

The Civil Guard declined to confirm specific details about the operation. Spain’s strategic location near Latin America and Morocco, a top cannabis producer, makes it an essential entry point for drugs into Europe.