A British national has been taken into custody by Spanish authorities after a significant quantity of cocaine was discovered concealed inside his vehicle at a major ferry terminal.
Interception at the Port of Denia
The 62-year-old man was intercepted by the Civil Guard as he attempted to board a ferry from Denia on the Costa Blanca, near Benidorm, destined for the Balearic Islands. During a routine preventive check, officers became suspicious of the foreign-plated car, which was occupied solely by its driver.
Officials noted a structural modification to the vehicle that was inconsistent with its original factory design. This prompted a more thorough search, which led to the discovery of a specially prepared hidden compartment.
The Discovery of the Drugs
Inside the secret space, police found several vacuum-packed bags containing a white powder, which subsequent tests confirmed to be cocaine. The total haul weighed more than seven kilograms. A small amount of cash was also seized alongside the vehicle.
A spokesman for Spain's Civil Guard confirmed the arrest, stating the driver was handed over to the courts. An investigating judge has ordered him to be remanded in custody while the probe continues. Authorities are working to trace the origin and intended destination of the narcotics and have not ruled out further arrests.
A Recurring Problem at Spanish Ports
This incident is not isolated. It follows a strikingly similar arrest at the same port nearly four months earlier, in September, when a 27-year-old British man was stopped with an estimated £300,000 worth of cocaine hidden in his car as he tried to board a ferry to Ibiza.
In that earlier case, the individual reportedly attempted to distract officers by handing over a bottle containing cannabis resin. A full search, however, uncovered the drugs in a storage compartment between the front seats.
These incidents are part of a wider pattern of British nationals being caught attempting to smuggle drugs into or within Spain. Recent months have seen several high-profile cases:
- In early October, 69-year-old Martin Renwick Hunter was jailed for nearly four years for trying to smuggle almost £100,000 of drugs onto a car ferry in Ceuta.
- Days later, Clara Wilson, a 36-year-old OnlyFans model from Nottinghamshire, received a three-year sentence after admitting to smuggling nearly £200,000 worth of cannabis from Thailand into Barcelona airport.
- At the end of May, a British couple, aged 33 and 34, were arrested at Valencia airport after 33kg of marijuana was found in their luggage following a flight from Thailand.
The Civil Guard's investigations into the latest seizure at Denia port are ongoing as they work to dismantle the smuggling network involved.
