Three people have been arrested after police and customs officers intercepted a 120-kilo stash of cocaine hidden inside shipping containers at the Port of Algeciras.
The drugs were discovered concealed in false bottoms beneath a cargo of raw timber, which had arrived from Suriname and was destined for a Spanish company, authorities confirmed on Tuesday.
The operation was launched following international intelligence and close cooperation between Spain’s National Police and Customs officers.
Acting on a tip-off from the Anti-Drug Prosecution Office, detectives began searching the busy port for five specific containers of wood suspected of harbouring the illegal cargo.
Once the suspect containers were tracked down, officers searched them and found the cocaine expertly hidden inside secret compartments.
Following the seizure, an investigation into the shipping paperwork led detectives to the suspected masterminds behind the logistics, as well as a ‘front man’ used to make the dodgy shipment appear legitimate.
All three suspects have now been detained and face charges relating to drug trafficking offences, with the case handed over to a judge in Algeciras.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
