Joint operation by the Tax Agency and the National Police

• The drug was located by agents of the National Police and the Customs Surveillance Service and recovered by agents of the Subsoil Unit of the National Police

• The investigation is motivated by international collaboration and the analysis of vessels suspected of transporting drug shipments from South America to Europe.

May 18, 2022.- Officials of the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency and agents of the National Police, within the framework of an operation against international drug trafficking, proceeded to seize 150 kilos of cocaine from a Greek-flagged merchant ship that was anchored in the port of Las Palmas.

The investigation is motivated by international collaboration and the analysis of vessels suspected of transporting drug shipments from South America to Europe.

Thanks to the collaboration of police authorities in the countries of origin and destination, suspicion was focused on a merchant ship that had already been controlled in Colombia and Portugal, where other shipments of cocaine were seized.

Customs Surveillance Service agents carried out a technical inspection of the ship, which was anchored in the port of Las Palmas, on May 16.

During the inspection, the National Police Underground Unit participated, with whose technical equipment it was possible to access the anchor well where the drugs were hidden.

Once the drug was extracted, it was weighed, resulting in a total of 150 kilos of cocaine.

This new action confirms that the Canary Islands are a key point in the maritime routes of merchant ships coming from South America and stopping off for technical stops.