Operation of the Tax Agency, National Police and Civil Guard

• The sailboat was located by the patrol boat 'Sacre', based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and by the special operations vessel 'Petrel I', of the Customs Surveillance Service, about 50 miles from the Canary Islands.

• The crew of the sailboat started a fire on board in which one crew member was seriously injured and evacuated by Maritime Rescue.

• Despite the sinking of the sailboat and the destruction of part of the drugs by fire, 25 kilos of cocaine have been recovered.

July 7, 2025.- Officials from the Tax Agency's Customs Surveillance Service aboard the patrol boat "Sacre," with the support of the SVA's special operations vessel "Petrel I," in a joint investigation with the Civil Guard and National Police, have intercepted a sailboat loaded with cocaine approximately 50 miles off the Canary Islands. Upon being detected, the crew of the sailboat started a fire on their vessel, seriously injuring one of them, who had to be evacuated by Maritime Rescue. Despite the sinking of the sailboat and the destruction of much of the drugs by fire, the crew of the patrol boat "Sacre" managed to recover 25 kilos of cocaine.

The operational deployment is part of the current plan to intensify investigation, surveillance, and control of maritime spaces in waters near the Canary Islands, which includes the participation of the Tax Agency's patrol vessels "Petrel I" and "Sacre."  Thus, during a surveillance operation aimed at intensifying the detection of targets susceptible to anomalous behavior in the area, information was received about a vessel allegedly located near the island of Tenerife and carrying a significant quantity of narcotic substances. Presumably, it would be transferred to another vessel, a semi-rigid type, which would be responsible for bringing the drugs to the Spanish coast.

International cooperation enabled intelligence to be obtained from the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency (NCA) and the United States' Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). This information was channeled through the Atlantic Maritime Drug Trafficking Analysis Center (MAOC) and coordinated nationally by the Center for Intelligence on Terrorism and Organized Crime (CITCO), which includes the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, the National Police, and the Civil Guard.

Sailboat fire

The maritime operation was highly risky for Customs patrol officers due to the rough seas and the fire intentionally set by the vessel's crew to destroy the cocaine and the sailboat.

The swift action of Customs Surveillance Service agents initially extinguished the fire and completed boarding the vessel. They also recovered some of the cargo before the fire reignited, destroying most of the cocaine shipment and the vessel carrying it, a sloop named "Lona."

The two crew members of the sailboat, of French and Dutch nationality, have been arrested. One of them was seriously injured in the fire and was transported by helicopter by Maritime Rescue.

The two Customs Surveillance Service vessels, along with the detainees and the recovered drugs, arrived in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on Friday.

They are available for download images of the operation at this link.