Spain seizes record cache of up to 40 tons of cocaine on ship in the Atlantic, according to police union

The Civil Guard intercepted the boat in international waters on Friday, and detained around twenty peoplesources from the AUGC, the main union of the police force, told AFP this Monday.

It is estimated that “between 35 and 40 tons of cocaine were seized” on the ship, whose hold “was completely packed” with bales of drugs.according to the same source, which considered that it was a “historical seizure.”

The vessel, which is now being inspected in the Canary Islands, had set sail from Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, and was heading to Benghazi, Libya.

Based on the experience of previous operations, Investigators believe that the cargo was destined to be unloaded in smaller ships, that they would distribute it later “to enter Europe.”

“Many vessels would be needed, different ports, because such an unloading in a single port would arouse many suspicions. So the operation is surely coordinated through international networks,” indicated AUGC sources.

The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, indicated that, according to first observations, the cache could be “one of the most important, not only at the national import level, but at the international level.”

At the moment, details of the investigation that is under summary secrecy are unknown, AUGC sources added.

When consulted by AFP, the Civil Guard declined to confirm the details of the operation.

Spain’s close ties with Latin America, as well as its proximity to Morocco, a major cannabis producer, make the country a key drug gateway to Europe.

In 2024, Spanish police confiscated 13 tons of cocaine hidden in a ship with containers that arrived at the Andalusian port of Algeciras, in the south, from Ecuador, the largest stash of this drug recorded in the country.

In January, police made their largest seizure of cocaine at sea when they boarded a ship carrying almost 10 tons of the drug.