Joint operation of the Tax Agency and the National Police, with the collaboration of the Spanish Navy

• The most important drug transport organization in Galicia has been dismantled. It was made up of experienced boatmen and known traffickers, and offered its services to drug organizations to collect cocaine on the high seas.
• The drugs were travelling on board a Togolese-flagged vessel with 15 crew members, all of whom were arrested, which was boarded by agents more than 300 miles off the Galician coast.
• The current state of alarm has not caused the cessation of police activity, with the fight against different types of crime, such as large-scale drug trafficking, being permanent.

April 28, 2020 .- Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency and the National Police, in a joint operation, have dealt a new blow to drug trafficking in Galicia with the arrest of 28 people - 15 crew members and 13 people on land - and the seizure of some 4,000 kilos of cocaine.

The operation has allowed the dismantling of the most important drug transport organisation in Galicia, which, made up of experienced boatmen and known traffickers, was at the service of the most important drug trafficking structures, both nationally and internationally, being required, presumably, to collect cocaine on the high seas when required.

The investigation has been coordinated by the Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office of Pontevedra and directed by the Court of Instruction number 3 of Vigo, with the collaboration of the Spanish Navy, the American Anti-Drug Agency (DEA), the British National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Colombian Police (DIRAN).

The drugs were seized on board a Togolese-flagged vessel that was boarded more than 300 miles off the Galician coast. The Spanish Navy and its ship 'Tornado', based in the Canary Islands, assisted in the interception of the ship. A dozen officials and agents from the Tax Agency and the Special Operations Group (GEO) of the National Police embarked on board the ship.

The most important organization of drug transporters in Galicia

The investigation began six months ago around a group, made up of experienced boatmen and known traffickers, who allegedly offered themselves to the various drug trafficking structures to collect cocaine on the high seas. The group under investigation had a large number of boats and motors, which they kept in secure warehouses distributed between the north of Portugal and different towns in Pontevedra.

After several efforts, investigators discovered that the group under investigation was finalizing certain details, such as the construction of launches and small fishing boats or the stockpiling of fuel and supplies. In addition, it was found that they were constantly moving speedboats to hide them in ships on the Galician coast, which alerted them that they were in the final stage of preparation before carrying out a drug trafficking operation.

Offshore and onshore devices

At that time, investigators focused on locating the mother ship that was transporting the drugs, a task that had the exceptional collaboration of the American Anti-Drug Agency (DEA), the British National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Colombian Police (DIRAN).

Following various operations, a Togolese-flagged vessel was detected, which allegedly loaded the drugs at the beginning of the month and had been travelling for about 20 days. Finally, last weekend the ship was intercepted some 200 miles off the coast of Galicia, resulting in the seizure of some 4,000 kilos of cocaine and the arrest of its 15 crew members – from Bangladesh and Nepal, with the presence of a Galician citizen on board. Subsequently, and thanks to the collaboration of the Spanish Navy, the ship was escorted until its arrival today at the Port of Vigo.

At the same time, a ground operation was carried out which culminated in the arrest of 13 people in Galicia, several of them with extensive drug trafficking records. 21 raids and searches have been carried out and five speedboats and numerous vehicles have been seized.

The operation is still ongoing and further arrests are not ruled out.

Operation filming (to download the video, enter the following web address):

https://we.tl/t-FJe32HQAzq