On August 8, the Surveillance Services of the Spanish Customs (DAVA) and the Spanish Civil Guard conducted a maritime operation, with the support of the Spanish Armada, that resulted in the interception of the vessel SKY WHITE in international waters West of the Canary Islands, Spain. A total of 80 bales of cocaine – weighing approximately 2700 kg – were discovered on board, and five crew members were arrested.
The vessel had been suspected of being used by a criminal group involved in transatlantic cocaine trafficking bound for Europe since the summer of 2024.
Following the seizure, the vessel was escorted to Tenerife, Spain, where the narcotics were offloaded and the detainees were brought before the competent judicial authorities.
This successful operation was carried out based on intelligence shared through the Centre, and was a result of a close collaboration between the French Customs, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Portuguese Judicial Police (PJ), the Cabo Verdean authorities and the Moroccan authorities – highlighting once again the crucial role of international cooperation in the fight against maritime drug trafficking.
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