Spanish authorities have seized nearly 10 tonnes of cocaine hidden aboard a foreign-registered cargo vessel while it was underway off the Canary Islands earlier this week.
The drugs, which have an estimated total street value of more than €100 million (US$120 million), were found aboard the Cameroon-flagged general cargo ship United S. Officials believe the contraband originated in South America and was to be distributed in Europe.
Operators from the GEO tactical unit of Spain's National Police Corps stormed the vessel and detained its crew on Sunday, January 11. The vessel was then brought under escort to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, but it ran out of fuel before it could arrive there.
The ship was towed the rest of the way to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where it was subsequently detained.
The GEO operators discovered around 9,994 kg of cocaine in 294 bales hidden underneath the ship's cargo of salt as well as a firearm of undisclosed calibre. The vessel's 13 crewmembers have also been placed under arrest.
The raid was executed with the aid of intelligence supplied by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the UK National Crime Agency, and law enforcement agencies in France, Portugal and Brazil.
According to Spanish local media, Sunday's operation was one of the largest ever cocaine seizures in Europe.
