Elements of the Spanish Civil Guard and National Police recently intercepted an inflatable raft adjacent to the Canary Islands’ shore, seizing more than 1.5 tons of cocaine. Coordination of tracking and surveillance operations led to the arrest of the three would-be traffickers on the boat, reported Spanish media.
Collaborative efforts and information from the Moroccan Territory Surveillance Services (DGST) in the early hours of last Friday enabled the interception of the tender and the capture of its passengers.
Authorities had detected a rubber boat approaching the Canary Islands coast near Arinaga, leading to a subsequent pursuit by the Civil Guard patrol boat “Rio Orbigo.”
Approximately 1,564.5 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside 64 parcels were found after a successful chase which resulted in the seizure of the raft and the crew’s arrest and subsequent transfer to the port of La Luz in Las Palmas.
The illicit substance was weighed, unloaded, and safely transported to the capital city’s Civil Guard command headquarters for secure storage.
The investigation into the incident and the circumstances involving the detainees’ actions has been forwarded to the competent court, which has ordered imprisonment for the three individuals.
The Moroccan DGST, along with the two Spanish law enforcement bodies, have been working together to curb drug trafficking, as demonstrated by this successful operation.