Just under 10 tonnes of cocaine have been seized by Spanish authorities after being found hidden in shipments of salt.
The record discovery by the Policia Nacional was made after intercepting a merchant vessel in the Atlantic Ocean.
The operation, dubbed Marea Blanca, resulted in the seizure of 9.99 tonnes of cocaine, packed into 294 bales, and the arrest of 13 crew members. Officers also recovered a firearm used to guard the shipment.
The vessel was intercepted in international waters following a long-running investigation into a multinational criminal organisation allegedly exporting large quantities of cocaine from South America to Europe.
The operation was coordinated by Spain’s Fiscalía Especial Antidroga and overseen by Audiencia Nacional, through Central Investigating Court No. 4.
Once the ship was located, Spain’s Navy was brought in to assist, and the boarding was carried out by the elite Grupo Especial de Operaciones (GEO), who stormed the vessel at sea and detained everyone on board.
The operation was not without risk. After the boarding, the merchant ship ran out of fuel and was left adrift for nearly 12 hours in the Atlantic.
Emergency assistance was provided by Sociedad de Salvamento y Seguridad Marítima (SASEMAR), which helped tow the vessel safely to the Canary Islands.
It was there that officers completed a detailed search of the cargo holds, uncovering the cocaine concealed within tonnes of industrial salt.
The investigation involved close cooperation with international partners, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), Brazil’s Federal Police, as well as Spain’s intelligence coordination bodies CITCO and MAOC.
Police say the collaboration highlights the growing importance of cross-border intelligence sharing in tackling global drug trafficking networks.
This is the biggest cocaine haul ever seized at sea by the Policia Nacional. The previous record dates back to 1999, when officers intercepted the vessel Tammsaare carrying 7.5 tonnes of cocaine concealed in its bow.
Spanish police describe the latest operation as a historic blow to international maritime drug trafficking, underlining both the scale of the criminal networks involved and Spain’s central role in disrupting cocaine routes into Europe.
Read more Costa del Crime news at the Spanish Eye.
