Simon Hunter
SPAIN’S National Police and Navy have intercepted a sailboat bound for Spanish shores that was carrying 1,500 kilos of cocaine.
The operation was carried out in conjunction with British, American and Italian authorities, among others.
The operation began in 2022, when the police became aware of a trafficking gang that was planning on using Spain as a logistical hub to import large quantities of the narcotic.
They soon were able to identify the members of the organisation, one of whom was particularly active and based on Spanish soil.
The suspects first sailed to Brazil from Tenerife for repairs to their sailboat, and from there they headed to the Caribbean. Once there, at the end of April, they received the merchandise and set sail from Spain.
The investigation led to the apprehension of the sailboat in Spanish waters.
The four crew members were arrested and the vessel itself was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean given its poor condition. The suspects are from Bulgaria, France and Sweden.
The operation was another blow to drug gangs from the east of Europe, according to news agency Europa Press, and is the sixth such ship to be intercepted in just six months.
A total of 13 tonnes of cocaine have been seized so far since the start of the year.
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