The operation, which remains under judicial secrecy by order of a judge from the Audiencia Nacional, led to the interception of the cargo ship Arconian, flying the flag of the Comoros Islands. Sources close to the investigation estimate that the haul could exceed 30 tons, an unprecedented figure for maritime seizures in the country.
The 90-meter-long vessel had departed from Sierra Leone with a declared destination of Libya, although investigations suggest the drugs were intended for European distribution routes. The unloading of the illicit substance is currently taking place at the Civil Guard's base in the port of Las Palmas.
“"Police pressure in major drug trafficking ports, such as Antwerp, Rotterdam, or Algeciras, is causing these routes to shift towards the Canary Islands, which thus becomes a strategic point."
In Sunday's operation, the entire crew of 23 men, mostly of Filipino and Angolan nationality, were arrested and will be brought before a judge within the next 48 hours. The drugs were packaged in 15 bales, each weighing an estimated 25 to 30 kilograms.
This discovery surpasses previous seizure records in Spain, such as the 13 tons found in October 2024 in the port of Algeciras and the 10 tons intercepted in January of this year west of the island of El Hierro. The Civil Guard continues its high-seas interventions to prevent the transfer of drugs to 'narcolanchas,' a common practice among criminal organizations.
