Spain’s Police seized more than four tons of cocaine concealed in sacks of rice at the Port of Barcelona on Friday and arrested ten suspects in one of the largest drug seizes ever recorded at the maritime facility.
The operation was conducted in collaboration with the Paraguayan police and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), as reported by the Spanish Civil Guard.
Suspicion of the presence of drugs in one of the ten containers led to a thorough inspection that revealed approximately 4,020 kilograms of cocaine hidden in the rice sacks.
The investigation began last year when investigators scrutinized a Spanish company transporting containers of rice from Paraguay to Barcelona.
Earlier this year, Paraguayan authorities seized a shipment of 3,312 kilograms of cocaine destined for Belgium at the port of Villeta. In March, a separate shipment of 2,100 kilograms of cocaine destined for a Spanish company was also intercepted in Southampton, United Kingdom. Both of the seized shipments are believed to be the operation of the same drug ring.
The criminal network was active in Spain, Paraguay, and the UK. In Paraguay, the organization utilized facilities in the capital,Asunción, for processing cocaine into a fine powder, packaging it in plastic bags, and then concealing it within rice bags.
In Spain, the gang included business figures with a background in import and export, as well as investors financially backing the illegal activity. Security personnel also played a role in ensuring the operation was protected by preventing raising suspicion among external law enforcement.
Paraguayan authorities have apprehended two individuals, including the ringleader who was caught in Paraguay.