Spain intercepts 13 tonnes of cocaine, largest bust to date

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spanish police announced the interception of an unprecedented 13 tonnes (14.3 US tons) of cocaine on Wednesday.

This is the biggest cocaine haul in Spain’s history, the second-largest in EU history, and one of the biggest in the world, according to Spanish police.

Police discovered the massive drug shipment in a container of bananas from Ecuador at the port of Algeciras.

In a statement, police said the bananas were being shipped to a Spanish importer who has been receiving large amounts of fruit from Ecuador for years.

However, the Ecuadorian exporter appeared in a database with a background of illicit drug trafficking, which triggered the inspection.

The drugs were camouflaged with the bananas, concealed inside fruit boxes and hidden behind screens.

Authorities have carried out five further raids on homes and offices in Madrid and Alicante.

One person has been detained, and police have issued arrest warrants for two heads of the importation company.

This drug bust smashes past Spanish records. Previously, the biggest cocaine seizures were 9.4 tonnes in 2023 and 8.7 tonnes in 2018.

In 2023, Spain became the primary point of entry for cocaine into Europe based on the volume of seizures, according to an analysis by InSight Crime.