Spanish police seize 10 tonnes of cocaine hidden in salt shipment

Spanish police have seized a shipment of nearly 10 tonnes of cocaine in what is being described as the biggest at-sea drug bust in the country's history.

In a statement shared on Monday (January 12), Policía Nacional confirmed that officers from its elite special group had boarded a vessel 332 miles off the coast of the Canary Islands, which anti-drug prosecutors had identified as allegedly being linked to a criminal organisation suspected to be exporting “enormous quantities” of cocaine from Brazil.

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The ship, which ran out of fuel on its journey to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, was found to be carrying 9,994kg of cocaine; a video shared by Policía Nacional shows officers digging through a mountain of salt with shovels to find 294 silver-wrapped bundles.

Alongside the seizure, officers arrested 13 people who were on board the ship, and seized a firearm that one of the suspected drug traffickers had reportedly been carrying to "protect the shipment".

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According to The Guardian, Policía Nacional's operation - nicknamed White Tide - was delivered "as a joint effort" with Brazilian, US, UK, French and Portuguese authorities.

“This represents a decisive blow to international criminal networks involved in maritime cocaine trafficking," a statement from Policía Nacional reads, adding that the operation demonstrates "the effectiveness of international police cooperation in the fight against global drug trafficking." 

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on X