Spanish authorities have intercepted a major cocaine shipment off the Canary Islands, seizing 6.5 tonnes of the drug and arresting nine suspects in an international operation coordinated with US law enforcement.
According to Spain’s National Police, the narcotics were concealed in the hold of a vessel flying a Tanzanian flag. The ship had departed from Panama and was bound for the port city of Vigo in northwestern Spain when it was raided.
The successful bust followed intelligence shared by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), whose information was described as “crucial” to the operation’s success.
Spain remains one of Europe’s principal entry points for cocaine, largely due to its proximity to Latin America the world’s primary source of the drug and its strategic location on the continent’s southwestern edge.
This latest seizure underscores Spain’s ongoing role in international anti-narcotics efforts. It comes less than a year after authorities made their largest-ever cocaine haul, discovering around 13 tonnes of the drug hidden among banana shipments in the southern port of Algeciras in October 2024.
