2023-10-31 14:39:41
This article was originally published in English
The drugs were found on ships from South America and hidden on board in the hope of avoiding detection.
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Spanish authorities announced the seizure of nearly 720 kg of cocaine from Costa Rica. The drugs were found in a container that arrived at the port of Malaga at the end of September.
The drugs were hidden in a safe buried under piles of scrap metal in the container, authorities said. Eight people were arrested in connection with the seizure, but their identities have not been revealed to the public.
Although this seizure represents a significant operation for Spanish authorities, it is far from the country’s largest, which took place earlier this year, in August, when 9.5 tonnes of drugs were discovered in a container of bananas from Ecuador.
According to 2020 data, Spain is the third country in Europe for the quantity of cocaine seized in its ports, with a total of 26 tons, behind Belgium (69 tons) and the Netherlands (45 tons).
The drug seizure in Spain comes just days after another country, the United Kingdom, celebrated one of the largest cocaine seizures in its history.
British authorities found €11.4 million worth of cocaine in the hull of a ship seized at the port of Sheerness in Kent – a county southeast of London – as part of an investigation involving police and border force officers, according to the National Crime Agency.
Authorities seized about 300 pounds of drugs from the container ship, which was flying a Panamanian flag and carrying a cargo of bananas. The drugs were found in four large bags hidden below the waterline inside the ship’s trunk, a seawater intake area that contributes to the ship’s stability.
The ship was heading to the Netherlands, but was stopped for search after docking in the British port on October 14.
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