Agents from the National Police's Special Operations Group, with the support of the Spanish Navy, have boarded a merchant ship 600 miles from the Canary Islands that was transporting approximately 6,500 kilos of cocaine in its holds, in gross weight. The final destination of the ship, which is more than 54 meters long, 12 meters wide, and 4.5 meters high, was the Port of Vigo.
Thanks to international police cooperation mechanisms, on October 8th, information was received from the American agency DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) alerting to the activities of an international criminal organization that intended to transport a large quantity of cocaine across the Atlantic Ocean.
The mother ship was a "supply ship"-type vessel, flying the Tanzanian flag, which had departed from the Panamanian port of Cristobal Anch towards our country. From Spain, the National Police, under the direction of the Special Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office of the National Court and with the support of the Spanish Navy, coordinated the operation to try to locate the vessel.
Consistent with the alert received, the course provided, and the modus operandi, an operation was designed to prevent the drugs from reaching the Spanish coasts. At approximately 9:30 p.m. on October 22, with the support of the Spanish Armed Forces, a boarding operation was established on the merchant ship, which took place 600 miles from the Canary Islands, carried out from a Navy ship by GEO personnel.
Once on board, the nine crew members were located and arrested, and in an initial security sweep, structures and constructions unrelated to what is supposed to be a cargo ship were found, which would be storing the narcotic.
