Spain's Police Crack Down on International Cocaine Trafficking Ring, Seizing Record-Breaking 10 Tonnes of the Illicit Substance
In a significant blow to international criminal networks involved in maritime cocaine trafficking, Spanish police have seized an astonishing 9,994 kilograms of cocaine hidden among a shipment of salt on a merchant ship off the Canary Islands. The operation, dubbed "White Tide," was carried out in collaboration with Brazilian federal police, the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the UK's National Crime Agency, and French and Portuguese authorities.
According to reports, the suspect vessel had set sail from Brazil and was traveling across the Atlantic when Spanish officers boarded it last week. Upon inspection, they discovered nearly 300 bales of cocaine buried among the tons of salt, which were subsequently seized. Thirteen people were arrested in connection with the operation, and the ship, which had run out of fuel, was towed to port in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The latest seizure is the largest of its kind for Spanish police at sea, surpassing the previous record set in 1999 by an impressive margin. In fact, it's not just Spain that's seeing a significant uptick in cocaine seizures – the country has already intercepted over 13 tonnes of cocaine this year alone, with a total of 123 tonnes seized so far.
The operation highlights the effectiveness of international police cooperation in the fight against global drug trafficking. As Spanish authorities noted, "Thanks to this joint effort, Policía Nacional officers recovered [the cocaine] packed into 294 bundles that had been hidden among the tonnes of salt the ship was transporting."
With this latest development, it's clear that law enforcement agencies around the world are working tirelessly to disrupt and dismantle international crime networks that pose a threat to global security. As one official noted, "This represents a decisive blow to international criminal networks involved in maritime cocaine trafficking."
In a significant blow to international criminal networks involved in maritime cocaine trafficking, Spanish police have seized an astonishing 9,994 kilograms of cocaine hidden among a shipment of salt on a merchant ship off the Canary Islands. The operation, dubbed "White Tide," was carried out in collaboration with Brazilian federal police, the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the UK's National Crime Agency, and French and Portuguese authorities.
According to reports, the suspect vessel had set sail from Brazil and was traveling across the Atlantic when Spanish officers boarded it last week. Upon inspection, they discovered nearly 300 bales of cocaine buried among the tons of salt, which were subsequently seized. Thirteen people were arrested in connection with the operation, and the ship, which had run out of fuel, was towed to port in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The latest seizure is the largest of its kind for Spanish police at sea, surpassing the previous record set in 1999 by an impressive margin. In fact, it's not just Spain that's seeing a significant uptick in cocaine seizures – the country has already intercepted over 13 tonnes of cocaine this year alone, with a total of 123 tonnes seized so far.
The operation highlights the effectiveness of international police cooperation in the fight against global drug trafficking. As Spanish authorities noted, "Thanks to this joint effort, Policía Nacional officers recovered [the cocaine] packed into 294 bundles that had been hidden among the tonnes of salt the ship was transporting."
With this latest development, it's clear that law enforcement agencies around the world are working tirelessly to disrupt and dismantle international crime networks that pose a threat to global security. As one official noted, "This represents a decisive blow to international criminal networks involved in maritime cocaine trafficking."
just thinkin about this 10 tonnes of coke seised is crazy, but what's really scary is that it was hidden among salt shipments... how many more tons did they miss? 
and now spain's got a record for the biggest seizure ever, but what does that say about the other countries involved in this mess? are they really doing their part or just playin' along? 
... I mean, 10 tonnes of coke hidden among salt? It's crazy! You gotta wonder how these people even manage to pull off something like that 
. And you know, I've got some friends who travel to Brazil and Spain all the time, so it's reassuring to think that they're safe from all this trafficking nonsense 
. Anyway, it's definitely a huge win for law enforcement - now let's hope these seizures keep coming! 
. This seizure is massive - 10 tonnes of coke hidden in salt? That's some next-level hiding spot. I wonder if these international police ops would've been possible back in '99 when my cousin was still a kid... it seems like the whole world is working together to take down these big crime rings 
I mean, can you even imagine the scale of an operation that big? It's like, these smugglers are getting bolder by the day 
. And the fact that it was hidden among a shipment of salt is just genius 
I guess you could say they were really 'seasoning' up their smuggling game 
.
Omg 10 tonnes of coke is crazy! Like what's the point of even hiding it in salt?? 
The fact that it's not just Spain seeing an uptick in seizures but also other countries is like, super encouraging 
Let's hope it keeps going and those crime networks keep getting busted 
. Don't get me wrong, it's great that international cooperation is paying off, but let's not gloss over the bigger picture here 
. We need to be thinking about the root causes of addiction and how we can support those affected, rather than just celebrating seizures as a way to make headlines 
.
. And 13 tonnes already seized this year? Spain's definitely got its priorities straight! 
, need everyone working together to crack them down. still, gotta wonder what other stuff is being smuggled around the world while we're not looking... 
10 tonnes is crazy, but I guess it's just business as usual for these illicit networks. And yeah, international cooperation is awesome and all, but someone's gotta keep the salt coming to these ships, right? 
Still, at least the authorities are getting some of this stuff off the streets... although I'm sure there's still plenty more out there. Maybe we'll just have to wait for another record-breaking seizure 