Police capture one of the most wanted drug traffickers in Canary Island waters

In a joint operation involving the Customs Surveillance Unit of the Tax Agency, the Guardia Civil, and the National Police, a boat was intercepted 500 nautical miles south of the Canary Islands, with 4,350 kilograms of cocaine on board worth approximately 300 million euros.

The operation was started based on international collaboration through an information exchange between the MAOC-N (the Atlantic Analysis and Operations Centre) and CITCO (Intelligence Centre Against Terrorism and Organised Crime) and was carried out with help from the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) and the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

The agencies discovered the possible involvement of a suspicious boat trafficking drugs from South America, forming part of an international operation to reach Spain. In response, the Customs Surveillance Service established an air and naval operation to locate the boat.

Upon intercepting and boarding the narco-boat, authorities immediately verified its cargo, revealing 4,350 kilograms of cocaine. Subsequently, all four crew members were arrested, including a notorious Galician drug trafficker known to the police, representing Spanish, Romanian, Moroccan, and Moldovan nationalities.

These types of boats, commonly used in the Atlantic, require regular assistance for water, food, and fuel, often supplied by other sports, fishing, or similar semi-rigid vessels.

The operation remains ongoing, and authorities are investigating the possible presence of other boats in the area that may be involved, leaving room for potential further action.