• The drugs were located in the Port of Algeciras in a container from Ecuador that was destined for Portugal.

• The operation involved the Tax Agency, the Civil Guard and the Judicial Police of Portugal

• A Spanish citizen was arrested for his alleged involvement as the administrator of the company that received the merchandise.

August 22, 2026. The Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, in a joint operation with the Civil Guard and the National Unit for Combating Drug Trafficking (UNCTE) of the Judicial Police of Portugal, have completed Operation Medulla, in which nearly 150 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a shipment of frozen fruit pulp have been seized in the Port of Algeciras. The operation has ended with the arrest in Portugal of a Spanish citizen for his alleged involvement in receiving the merchandise.

The investigation began in the Port of Algeciras as a result of the controls carried out on goods in transit. As part of these actions, agents of the Civil Guard and the Customs Surveillance Service within the framework of the Local Risk Analysis Unit (ULAR) inspected a container from Ecuador that was carrying a declared cargo of frozen fruit pulp.

During the inspection, nearly 500 small packets were found hidden inside the frozen pulp packages, containing a pressed white substance. Tests performed on the seized substance yielded a positive result for cocaine, with a total approximate weight of close to 150 kilograms. The value of the seized drugs would have reached approximately four million euros.

The end-use of the shipment made it necessary to coordinate immediately with the National Unit for Combating Drug Trafficking of the Portuguese Judicial Police. From that moment on, the three agencies maintained a permanent exchange of information to continue the investigations in both countries, identify the people linked to the merchandise and prevent the drugs from reaching the illicit market.

As a result of the actions carried out in Portugal, on August 20 the cargo was located in a warehouse located in the vicinity of Lisbon. During the police operation, the administrator of the receiving company, a Spanish citizen, was identified and arrested for his alleged connection to the seized merchandise. The detainee will be placed at the disposal of the competent Portuguese judicial authority.

International cooperation against drug trafficking

The joint operation has made it possible to connect the investigations carried out in Spain and Portugal, seize the entire shipment and identify one of its alleged perpetrators. The speed of information exchange and coordination between participating units have been fundamental in preventing the distribution of the narcotic substance.

This operation, led in Spain by the Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office of Campo de Gibraltar, highlights the importance of international cooperation in combating criminal networks that use maritime routes and commercial shipments to introduce cocaine into Europe.