Operation of the Tax Agency, National Police and Civil Guard

• The boarding was carried out by the patrol boat 'Petrel' of the Customs Surveillance Service 400 miles from the islands

• Two crew members of the Polish-flagged ship arrested 

• The drugs were distributed inside the boat without any concealment techniques.

December 9, 2023.- The Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, the National Police and the Civil Guard, in a joint operation, have intercepted 400 miles from the Canary Islands a semi-rigid cabin boat, named 'SRC 1250', 12.5 meters long, and flying the Polish flag, which was carrying nearly 2,500 kilos of cocaine, pending official weighing, divided into 86 bales, according to initial estimates.

The boarding by the Customs Surveillance patrol boat 'Petrel' was carried out in a context of harsh weather conditions. The two crew members, of French nationality, were arrested during the operation.

The narcotic substance was found distributed throughout the vessel without any concealment techniques, which is logical given its small size, which suggests that it was transferred to another vessel or vessels that would be responsible for introducing the drug into the Peninsula.

The operation, the result of international collaboration through the Center for Analysis against Maritime Drug Trafficking in the Atlantic (MAOC) and coordinated by the Center for Intelligence on Terrorism and Organized Crime (CITCO), was carried out under very adverse conditions due to the existence of a storm in the area.

The operation culminated today with the arrival of the 'Petrel' and the boat boarded at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, for the unloading of the drugs and the placing of the detainees at the disposal of the courts by Customs Surveillance, National Police and Civil Guard.

Atlantic route

This operation is in addition to those already carried out by the Tax Agency and the Security Forces in the fight against drug trafficking on the so-called 'Atlantic Route' of cocaine, known for being used by sailboats, fishing boats, merchant ships and, as in this case, semi-rigid vessels that, coming from South America and the Caribbean, transfer narcotic substances in the middle of the Atlantic for their subsequent introduction into the European continent.

On this occasion, investigators have been drawn to the fact that a vessel of this type was in the middle of the Atlantic, and it is likely that it had some kind of logistical support to carry out the operation.

The success of this type of action is the result of the excellent collaborative work between several European and national bodies (MAOC, CITCO) and the different police and customs bodies, as well as, in this case, the cooperation of the DEA and NCA authorities in the United Kingdom.