Spanish authorities have carried out their largest-ever cocaine seizure at sea, intercepting a container ship in the Atlantic Ocean bound for Europe with almost ten tonnes of the drug on board.
The Cameroon-flagged vessel, which had departed from Brazil, was raided last week, leading to the discovery of 9,994 kilogrammes (22,033 pounds) of cocaine hidden in 294 packages concealed within a shipment of salt, police said in a statement.
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Thirteen crew members were arrested, and a firearm reportedly used to guard the stash was confiscated during the operation, which involved cooperation with law enforcement agencies from the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, and Portugal.
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Spain’s geographic proximity to Latin America and Morocco, a major cannabis producer makes it a key entry point for illicit drugs entering Europe.
The latest haul surpasses previous records, including a 2024 seizure in which Spanish police confiscated 13 tonnes of cocaine from a container ship arriving at the southern port of Algeciras from Ecuador, marking the country’s largest-ever cocaine bust at the time.
