Spanish police have announced their largest-ever cocaine seizure at sea, intercepting a vessel carrying nearly 10 metric tons of the drug hidden within a salt shipment from Brazil to Europe. The operation resulted in the arrest of 13 individuals aboard the ship, which ultimately ran out of fuel and required towing to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands.
Authorities recovered 294 bales of cocaine and a handgun during the operation. Footage captured police officers digging through the salt with shovels and their hands to extract the concealed drugs, forming a line to transport the bales to the pier.
This significant bust was part of an international collaboration involving the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Brazil’s Federal Police, the UK’s National Crime Agency, and law enforcement agencies from France and Portugal. The scale of the seizure underscores the ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking across international waters.
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