In December 2023, with the support of MAOC-N, the French Navy intercepted a sailing vessel that had departed from the Caribbean and was sailing in the Atlantic towards Europe, loaded with approximately 1.3 tonnes of cocaine.
Subsequent investigations made it possible to find links to a criminal organisation that was already being investigated in several countries, allowing the identification of several individuals associated to sailing vessels used for illegal purposes. The international operation was undertaken under the leadership of the Spanish National Police, jointly with the Norwegian National Criminal Investigation Services (NCIS), the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the British National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (MAOC-N) with the support of EUROPOL and with the collaboration of police officers from France, Poland, Portugal, Bulgaria, Panama and Saint Lucia.
Once the criminal structure was identified, the investigators detected the preparation of two sailboats that were to receive more than 1,000 kilos of cocaine each, so a preventive action was established to avoid this illegal venture being carried out in international waters. During the searches, 1,500 kilos of cocaine were seized and eight vessels, 36 vehicles and more than 85 telephone terminals were seized. 47 persons have been arrested in several countries in joint actions in Spain (28), Norway (13), Bulgaria (1), United Kingdom (1), Panama (1), Trinidad and Tobago (1), Portugal (1), and Colombia (1).
The joint action of several Law Enforcement agencies and the swift exchange of information between various international partners, within the framework EU initiatives like MAOC-N and EUROPOL was the key to this operational success in the fight against international drug trafficking.
Press: https://policia.es/_es/comunicacion_prensa_detalle.php?ID=16273
