Barcelona: Spanish police said on Thursday they had seized more than four tons of cocaine from a boat off the coast of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean and arrested four crew members.
The semi-rigid speedboat carrying cocaine from South America was discovered about 500 nautical miles (920 kilometers) south of the Spanish Islands off the northwest coast of Africa.
Police and Spanish customs authorities said in a joint statement that the operation was carried out in cooperation with the UK National Crime Agency and the US Drug Enforcement Agency.
Police said it was unlikely the boat was operating alone.
“When these types of vessels are used in the Atlantic Ocean, they are regularly used to supply water, food, fuel, and other supplies such as those provided by other sporting, fishing, or semi-rigid boats of the same type. “We need significant assistance,” the statement said. .
“The operation is ongoing and the possibility of a new operation cannot be ruled out as the possibility of other vessels in the area that may be involved is being investigated.”
The four arrested crew members were from Romania, Spain, Moldova and Morocco.
Spain is one of the main entry points for drugs into Europe due to its close ties to Latin America, a major source of cocaine, and its proximity to Morocco, a major source of cannabis resin.
Two police officers were killed Friday night when their patrol boat was hit by a speedboat driven by drug traffickers off the southern port of Barbate, 70 kilometers west of Algeciras.
Eight people were arrested and two police officers were injured in the incident. –AFP