Spanish authorities have intercepted a freighter in the Atlantic carrying between 30 and 45 tonnes of cocaine, marking the country’s largest-ever drug seizure. The vessel, stopped off the Canary Islands en route from Sierra Leone to Libya, led to about 20 arrests. Officials suggest the shipment was likely bound for European markets via smaller vessels, but the investigation remains under legal secrecy.
Record-breaking cocaine seizure at sea
Spanish police impounded between 30,000 and 45,000 kilograms of cocaine from a cargo ship intercepted in international waters off the Canary Islands. The Civil Guard described the operation as a “historic blow to drug trafficking,” with the hold completely packed with bales of cocaine. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska called it one of the largest seizures both nationally and internationally, underscoring its significance in global enforcement efforts. BBC + 4
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Year
|
Location
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Quantity Seized
|
Notes
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|---|---|---|---|
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2026
|
Atlantic Ocean off Canary Islands
|
30,000–45,000 kg
|
Freighter intercepted en route from Sierra Leone to Libya; around 20 arrests
|
|
2026 (January)
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West of Canary Islands
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Almost 10,000 kg
|
Previous largest seizure at sea earlier in the year
|
|
2025 (October)
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Off Canary Islands
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6,500 kg
|
Seizure followed a U.S. tip-off; nine people arrested
|
|
2024
|
Port of Algeciras
|
13,000 kg
|
Container ship from Ecuador; largest-ever haul at the port
|
Suspicious route and trafficking patterns
The ship departed from Freetown, Sierra Leone, with a declared destination of Benghazi, Libya, but authorities doubt such a large quantity would be offloaded there. Previous cases suggest the cargo would be transferred mid-sea to smaller vessels for European distribution. Experts note that unloading such a volume in a single port would be too conspicuous, pointing to coordination by international trafficking networks
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