In a landmark blow against international drug trafficking, Spanish police have made their largest-ever seizure of cocaine at sea, recovering almost 10 tonnes of the drug from a merchant vessel off the Canary Islands.
The 'White Tide' Operation: A Coordinated Strike
Acting on intelligence, detectives and anti-drug prosecutors had been investigating a multinational criminal organisation suspected of moving "enormous quantities" of cocaine from South America to Europe. Their focus turned to a specific ship that had departed from Brazil.
Last week, officers from the Policía Nacional's elite special operations group boarded the vessel approximately 332 miles (535km) south of the Canary Islands. The ship, which had reportedly run out of fuel, was found to be carrying a vast cargo of salt concealing the illicit haul.
Digging Out the Contraband
Video evidence from the raid, dubbed Operation White Tide, showed officers using shovels to excavate the contraband. They unearthed 294 bales of cocaine, weighing a total of 9,994 kilograms, which had been deliberately buried within the salt. A firearm was also seized from the crew, allegedly to protect the shipment.
Thirteen individuals were arrested on the spot. Following the interception, the stricken vessel was towed to the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife for further investigation.
International Cooperation Delivers Decisive Blow
The successful operation was the result of extensive international collaboration. The Spanish authorities worked closely with Brazilian federal police, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), as well as French and Portuguese counterparts.
In an official statement, the Policía Nacional declared the seizure "a decisive blow to international criminal networks involved in maritime cocaine trafficking." They emphasised that the operation "demonstrates the effectiveness of international police cooperation in the fight against global drug trafficking."
Context: A Rising Tide of Seizures
This record maritime bust surpasses the force's previous largest sea seizure of 7.5 tonnes of cocaine from a trawler in July 1999. It follows another major interception earlier in 2024, when Spanish police and customs officers found over 13 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a container of bananas from Ecuador, the largest single consignment ever to reach the country.
The scale of cocaine interdictions in Spain has seen a dramatic increase in recent years. Authorities seized a total of 123 tonnes in 2024, up from 118 tonnes in 2023 and 58 tonnes in 2022, highlighting both the escalating flow of the drug and the intensified efforts to combat it.
