Spanish police recently dismantled a sophisticated drug trafficking network that involved smugglers swimming in the open sea to load Colombian cocaine onto container ships bound for Europe. The operation utilized a method known as the “monkeys” technique, employing skilled young swimmers from low-income backgrounds to transfer the drugs onto vessels at sea. Other operatives traveled to Spain to intercept ships before they reached the busy Gibraltar Strait, facilitating the smuggling process.
In a notable incident from 2025, a ship headed for Cadiz reported stowaways, leading to the discovery of 1.3 tonnes of cocaine in a container. Shortly after, another vessel in Portuguese waters was hijacked by armed stowaways, who also unloaded cocaine hidden in a container. Investigations revealed that the network retrieved drugs by tossing them from merchant ships to smaller boats, using military tactics to subdue crews and extract the cargo.
The cocaine was stored in southern Spain before being transported by road to various European destinations. Authorities arrested 30 individuals and seized 2.4 tonnes of cocaine, military-grade weapons, ladders for ship raids, luxury vehicles, and cash. Spain’s strategic location, with its ties to Latin America and proximity to Morocco, positions it as a critical entry point for drugs into Europe.
On January 12, Spanish police reported their largest-ever cocaine seizure at sea, confiscating nearly 10 tonnes from a container ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
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