In a coordinated anti-drug operation, law enforcement detained at least nine individuals connected to a shipping case involving large quantities of cocaine. The incident unfolded in the waters off Atlantic, near the West Canary Islands, after a Alicante-registered sailboat carrying more than half a ton of cocaine was intercepted. The ship, described as belonging to a crew that declared a close proximity to port, was seized in a joint effort by the Civil Guard, the Customs Surveillance Service, and the National Police.
The vessel was subsequently escorted to the port of Tenerife on Tuesday, alongside another sailboat that was also seized in a separate National Court-facilitated operation. The two ships together carried a total of 1,139 kilograms of cocaine, with the Alicante vessel containing about 600 kilograms and the other boat holding the remainder. This operation reflects ongoing efforts to dismantle drug-trafficking networks operating in Spain and surrounding waters.
Approach
Two crew members from the Alicante-registered vessel were detained after authorities on the customs patrol vessel Fulmar intercepted the ship during the operation. In Alicante, four individuals were arrested, and three more were taken into custody in Madrid after investigators confirmed the presence of narcotics aboard the vessel.
Two suspects in Alicante and Elche, along with two others in Vega Baja, appeared before investigative magistrates in Torrevieja. The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Team of the Alicante Civil Guard, known as EDOA, initiated proceedings that led to detention. The operation remains ongoing under a sealed report, and authorities do not rule out the possibility that more arrests may follow as the case develops. The Madrid detainees include individuals of Colombian origin, and a substantial amount of drugs was recovered in that phase of the investigation.
The Alicante sailboat was the first vessel boarded by Customs Surveillance. While it was being towed toward Tenerife, additional evidence prompted the seizure of the second vessel after warnings from the anti-drug office, with cooperation noted from U.S. authorities and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) in the broader international context of the operation. [Citation: Civil Guard press materials; international partners cited in the operation report]