Spanish police seize 4.8 tons of cocaine off southern coast of Canary Islands

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA)- Spanish police announced on Thursday that they seized 4,350 kilograms (4.8 tons) of cocaine in a ship 500 miles south of the Canary Islands.

Four individuals, from Spain, Romania, Morocco and Moldova, have been arrested. The Spanish man was a well-known drug trafficker from Galicia, according to police.

Police say they discovered the small inflatable boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean thanks to cooperation with international partners including the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) and the UK’s Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

After being tipped off about the suspicious boat traveling from South America, Spanish authorities used an aviation device to identify it.

When authorities moved in for the bust, they immediately found the bricks of cocaine.

Police do not rule out other arrests because they say this type of ship needs to receive supplies from other vessels to complete the long journey.

Spain is one of the main entry points for drugs entering Europe, due in part to its close connections with Latin America — the source of cocaine.

It is also the main entry point for hashish produced in Morocco, which is largely transported around the Strait of Gibraltar.

Last Friday, two Spanish police officers were killed when their patrol craft was rammed by a speedboat carrying drugs in that area.