Jan 12, 2026, 5:59 p.mJan 12, 2026, 5:59 p.m
Spanish special forces seized almost ten tons of cocaine in the Atlantic on a freighter coming from Brazil. The authority said this was the largest cocaine seizure on the high seas in the history of the Spanish National Police. The ship was intercepted and boarded 290 nautical miles (almost 540 kilometers) west of the Canary Islands. All 13 crew members were arrested, it was said. A firearm was also confiscated.
Almost ten tons of cocaine were seized.Image: keystone
Drugs are said to have been hidden in a load of salt
According to the announcement, the historic blow against the South American coke mafia took place last week. The Spanish emergency services were supported in the investigation by the US anti-drug agency DEA, the Maritime Analysis and Operations Center for Narcotic Drugs – to which Germany and other European countries belong – and by the authorities of France, Great Britain and Portugal.
According to official information, those arrested come from India and Serbia. It was said that the drug was hidden in a load of salt. The ship was taken to the port of Santa Cruz on Tenerife, where it had been anchored since Sunday afternoon. According to Spanish media reports citing national police spokespersons, no other European country has ever managed such a large-scale cocaine coup on the high seas.
“White Flood”
Scenes of the impressive action can be seen on a video from the Spanish police. The operation was called “Marea Blanca” (White Flood). And the name fits the critical situation: According to the authorities’ findings, Spain is increasingly becoming one of the most important entry points for the South American cocaine mafia in Europe. Just in October, special forces from the “Policía Nacional” confiscated 6.5 tons of cocaine on a freighter in the Atlantic.
“The whole of Europe is currently flooded with cocaine, and Spain plays an important role as a gateway to the continent,” warned the government representative for the National Drug Plan, Joan Ramón Villalbí, in parliament in Madrid at the beginning of 2025. (hkl/sda/dpa)