Joint operation of the Tax Agency and the National Police

• The Special Operations Ship 'Fulmar' of the Customs Surveillance Service, in an international operation coordinated by the Maritime Analysis and Operations Center on Drug Trafficking (MAOC-N) and the Intelligence Center Against Terrorism and Organized Crime (CITCO ), has boarded a ship loaded with cocaine valued at around 15 million euros
• The operation resulted in the arrest of its two crew members, who are Bulgarian nationals.

August 18, 2022.- The Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, in a joint operation with the National Police, has intercepted a type 'sailboat 500 nautical miles from the Azores Islands 15.85 meter long sloop, named 'Frea', flying the Polish flag, when it was transporting approximately 400 kilos of cocaine valued at around 15 million euros.

The operation began, as a consequence of international collaboration, through the exchange of information between the MAOC-N (Atlantic Analysis and Operations Center), the CITCO (Intelligence Center Against Terrorism and Organized Crime), the investigators of the Customs Surveillance Service and the National Police. From there, the possible involvement of a vessel suspected of illicit drug trafficking from South America was determined.

As a consequence, the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency established the appropriate air-naval device that resulted in its patrol boat 'Fulmar' locating and boarding the sailboat on the morning of August 5.

At the time of the boarding, it was observed that the sailboat was transporting a significant amount of bales usually used for cocaine trafficking, hidden in a compartment in the stern of the boat. At that time, its two crew members, of Bulgarian nationality, were arrested, as well as the ship was seized, which was transferred to the port of Cádiz, where it was searched.

The investigators had the suspicion that, in addition to the nearly 18 kilos of cocaine that had been detected after the boarding, a substantially larger amount of this narcotic could already be hidden in the hull of the ship itself. After the search, the suspicions were confirmed, thus reaching the total amount seized of 400 kilos of cocaine.

The drug was hidden in a false bottom in the stern part of the sailboat, so its discovery was very laborious.

The operation has been directed and coordinated by the Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office of the National Court. Both the detainees, the boat, the drugs and the police proceedings will be handed over to the Central Investigative Court number 5.

This operation is one more of those carried out in the fight against drug trafficking in the so-called Atlantic Route of cocaine, known for being used by sailboats that come from South America transship narcotic substances in the middle of the Atlantic for their subsequent introduction into the continent. European.