Tripoli – Spain’s Interior Ministry revealed details on Friday of its seizure of the largest cocaine shipment in the country’s history.
The ministry said the Spanish Civil Guard intercepted a ship in the Atlantic Ocean. This followed security information indicating the vessel was carrying large quantities of cocaine.
Spanish investigators became aware of a major cocaine shipment on a container ship. It had departed from the west coast of Africa. The plan was to transfer the drugs at sea to speedboats.
The ship’s boarding was part of a broad security operation. Spanish Civil Guard forces, special intervention units, and the Spanish Central Operations Unit participated. They collaborated with a U.S. drug enforcement unit.
Joint security units arrested six armed individuals. They seized 30,215 kilograms of cocaine. The drugs were divided into 1,279 packages. Officials also found over 42,000 liters of gasoline. This fuel was in 2,108 containers.
The official spokesperson for the Anti-Drug and Psychotropic Substances Agency, Dr. Mohammed Al-Fitori, definitively denied claims that the seized ship was heading to Libya.
Al-Fitori told Al-Wasat portal that Libya has no connection to the seized shipment. Current investigations have not proven the shipment was destined for Libyan territory.