Spain Seizes 6.5 Tonnes Of Cocaine On Ship Off Canary Islands After US Tip-Off

Last Updated:October 26, 2025, 23:32 IST

The operation was carried out after crucial information was shared by the US Drug Enforcement Administration

Packages of cocaine that were found in a container from Ecuador. (AFP file photo)

Spanish police on Sunday said that they seized 6.5 tonnes of cocaine and arrested nine people after receiving a tip-off from US authorities that led them to raid a ship near the Canary Islands a few days ago.

In a statement, the Spanish police said the drugs were hidden inside the ship’s hold. The vessel, sailing under a Tanzanian flag, had departed from Panama and was headed for the port of Vigo in north-west Spain.

The operation was carried out after crucial information was shared by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which helped Spanish authorities track and intercept the ship, the statement stated.

Spain serves as one of the main entry points for cocaine smuggled from Latin America into Europe, owing to its close historical and trade ties with the region and its strategic position in south-west Europe.

Last October, Spanish police made their largest-ever cocaine seizure when they found around 13 tonnes of the drug concealed in a shipment of bananas at the southern port of Algeciras.

(With inputs from AFP)

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News world Spain Seizes 6.5 Tonnes Of Cocaine On Ship Off Canary Islands After US Tip-Off

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