Alberto Lejarraga
A BOAT waving a British flag that was transporting 2,000 kg of cocaine worth €70 million has been intercepted in northern Spain.
The white sailing boat was spotted 30 nautical miles from the Port of Santander, in Cantabria, by officers of customs services.
The capture of the boat, named Night Falls, was part of a joint operation between Guardia Civil and the UK National Crime Agency.
“We believe the boat was actually not British as it arrived from South America. But the National Crime Agency revealed to us information on the exact position of the boat.” a Guardia Civil spokesman told the Olive Press.
A Guardia Civil statement displayed that the boat was not on a specific course but that it “had just crossed the Atlantic to reach the Spanish coast.”
They insist that the lack of a fixed course ‘was very surprising because of the weather conditions of the area,’ known to be much more rainy and windy than the south of the country.
Agents believe that the Night Falls was waiting for a second boat to effectuate a transfer of the drugs.
The boat, which had no lights or tracking systems, was intercepted and taken to the Port of Santander for an investigation to take place.
The four crew members, one Spanish, two Venezuelans and a Colombian, were arrested.
Guardia Civil describes the operation as ‘exceptional’ as it is uncommon for boats doing the unfamous Transatlantic Cocaine Route to end up in the Cantabrian coast.
Read more:
- In joint operation between Spain and UK, authorities bust cocaine smugglers using recreational boats
- Vast quantities of cocaine intercepted in banana shipments to Spain’s Andalucia
- Cocaine distributors moved supplies in hidden car compartments across Spain’s Costa Blanca
