A joint operation by the Tax Agency and the Guardia Civil

• Cocaine was found in a container from Ecuador that was declared frozen hake
• The drug was found distributed in 1,741 pills that were hidden in two pallets of the container

January 28, 2022.- The Tax Agency and the Civil Guard have seized 2,011 kilos of cocaine in an operation carried out in the port of Algeciras. 

The operation began when, within the framework of the controls on containers from South America that are regularly carried out by the Risk Analysis Unit (UAR) of the Algeciras Customs, it became known that several pieces of equipment from Ecuador had arrived in Algeciras and, after a thorough risk analysis, it was determined that some of them might contain hidden narcotic substances.

Customs Surveillance officers from the Tax Agency and Civil Guards, who work together at the UAR, proceeded to inspect the equipment where they found 1,741 hidden pills in one of the containers containing a white, floury substance, which tested positive in the drug test for cocaine.

In total, 1,741 pills were seized, with an approximate gross weight of more than 2,011 kilos of cocaine.

This seizure is the result of the control actions of the Customs and Excise Department of the Tax Agency included in the general guidelines of the Annual Tax and Customs Control Plan of the Tax Agency. This plan identifies cocaine trafficking from South America and the Caribbean as one of the priority areas for control, within the scope of the prevention and repression of smuggling, drug trafficking and money laundering.

For this reason, Customs analysts and researchers carry out ongoing monitoring and analysis of international merchandise traffic. In this area, international cooperation is of particular importance, given the transnational nature of this type of criminal activity.

The assets and the drugs have been placed at the disposal of the on-duty judge of the Algeciras Court.