In a landmark maritime operation, Spanish police have confiscated a staggering 9,994 kilograms of cocaine from a merchant vessel in the Atlantic Ocean, marking the force's largest-ever seizure at sea.
The 'White Tide' Operation Unfolds
The monumental bust, codenamed Operation White Tide, was the culmination of an investigation into a multinational criminal syndicate suspected of moving "enormous quantities" of narcotics from South America into Europe. Authorities had been tracking the suspect ship, which had embarked from Brazil.
Last week, elite officers from the Policía Nacional's special operations group boarded the vessel approximately 332 miles (535km) off the coast of the Canary Islands. The ship was reportedly adrift after running out of fuel. Upon inspection, officers discovered the illicit cargo cleverly concealed within a legitimate shipment of salt.
Video evidence from the raid showed investigators using shovels to excavate 294 wrapped bales of the drug from the mountainous salt pile in the ship's hold. A firearm was also recovered, believed to be for protecting the valuable shipment.
International Cooperation and Arrests
This successful interdiction was a truly collaborative effort, involving key law enforcement agencies across continents. The Spanish operation worked alongside Brazilian federal police, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), as well as French and Portuguese authorities.
Following the discovery, thirteen individuals were arrested in connection with the smuggling attempt. The disabled vessel was subsequently towed to the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife for further forensic examination.
In an official statement, the Policía Nacional declared the haul "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."
A Record-Breaking Haul in Context
This seizure shatters the Spanish police's previous record for cocaine confiscated at sea, which stood at 7.5 tonnes recovered from a trawler in July 1999.
The bust is part of a wider trend of increasing narcotics interceptions by Spanish authorities. Notably, in 2024, police and customs officers intercepted the largest known consignment to ever reach the country's shores: more than 13 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a banana shipment from Ecuador.
The scale of the problem is further highlighted by annual seizure figures:
- 2024: 123 tonnes of cocaine seized.
- 2023: 118 tonnes seized.
- 2022: 58 tonnes seized.
This dramatic increase underscores the persistent and evolving challenge posed by sophisticated international drug trafficking organisations attempting to use European maritime routes, with Spain often on the frontline.
