In recent days the Spanish National Police has conducted a maritime operation resulting in the seizure of 2.7 tonnes of cocaine on board a sailing vessel, intercepted approximately 600nm south-west of the Canary Islands.
This far-reaching operation involved the collaboration of law enforcement agencies from Brazil, Croatia, France, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain and Slovenia, targeting a drug cartel allegedly responsible for large-scale cocaine trafficking from South America into the European Union. As the investigation unfolded, it became evident that the criminal network was orchestrating multi-tonne cocaine shipments from Brazil to the EU.
Besides the two crew members, four other members of the Balkan Cartel have been arrested by the Serbian authorities after several house searches were carried out in the country.
This large-scale international operation was coordinated by EUROPOL and supported by MAOC-N.
Additional information about the operation is in the official press release: https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/balkan-cartel-sinks-spain-seizes-27-tonnes-of-cocaine-board-large-vessel
