Almost 9 tons of cocaine in a container from Colombia

• A container tracking device led to the arrest in Malaga of three people related to the importing company and the subsequent arrest in France of two other members of the organization.
• It is the largest stash of cocaine in Spain and the largest in a container in all of Europe.
• The cocaine was hidden among some of the 1,080 boxes of bananas carried by the container that came from a Colombian company and that had been loaded at the port of Turbo (Colombia). from the Agency through 'RENTA WEB'

April 25, 2018 .- Officials from the Customs and Excise Department of the Tax Agency and agents from the National Police-Central Narcotics Brigade have made the largest arrest in the port of Algeciras of cocaine carried out so far in Spain and the largest in a container in all of Europe, having seized a total of 8,740 kilograms of this narcotic, which were hidden in a container of bananas from Colombia and that was traveling on the ship 'Lucie Schulte'.

Investigators from the Tax Agency and the National Police had been controlling the operations of the company that shipped the merchandise in Colombia and the importing company in Spain. As a result of these joint investigations, and through international collaboration, we learned of a shipment suspected of transporting a narcotic substance destined for the port of Algeciras.

The suspicious shipment was made up of three containers, whose inspection was finally carried out last Sunday, April 22, discreetly in the port of Algeciras. The action was carried out by Customs Surveillance officials of the Special Delegation of the Tax Agency in Andalusia and agents of the National Police, and as a result of it, 8,740 kilograms of cocaine were seized under a first layer of bananas.

The cocaine was hidden among several of the 1,080 boxes of bananas carried in the container that came from a Colombian company and had been loaded at the port of Turbo (Colombia).

Container Tracking

Once the drugs were unloaded, immediately after the arrest, authorization was requested from the Special Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office for the monitored delivery of the container, for the purposes of identifying those responsible for the operation, and in parallel establishing surveillance of the foreseeable destination of the container. container.

Finally, tracking the container led the investigators to the intended destination, an industrial warehouse in the capital of Malaga, inside which the arrest of three people of Spanish nationality related to the importing company was carried out.

Two other businessmen members of the organization who had fled have also finally been arrested. These are two people of French nationality and residents in Malaga whose arrest has been possible thanks to a European arrest warrant and the efforts of French Customs and the OCN of Sirene Spain.

This operation is the result of excellent coordination and collaboration between the institutions involved in the repression of drug trafficking at the national and international level. The investigations have been coordinated by the Special Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office and the Investigative Court No. 14 of Malaga. The proceedings remain open and new arrests are not ruled out.

A historic seizure

The arrest carried out in Algeciras is the largest in the history of drug trafficking in our country in all means of transport and also represents the largest amount seized in a container in all of Europe, above the result of the boarding of the 'Tammsare' vessel. carried out on the high seas in 1999 (7.6 tons) by Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency and National Police.

Note: Photographic annex is included.