The Spanish National Court has sentenced a man to ten years in prison and ordered him to pay €6.4 million in fines after he was found guilty of drug trafficking involving 211 kilograms of cocaine transported on a tourist excursion boat in Puerto Colon in the south of Tenerife.
According to the court ruling, the man, who worked as a boat mechanic and organised tourist outings, was involved in a drug smuggling operation that began in March 2021. Along with other individuals already convicted in France, he participated in a transatlantic journey from Martinique to the Canary Islands with the aim of distributing cocaine. The vessel used in the operation was linked to a company based in Costa Adeje, Tenerife.
During the voyage, 180 packages of cocaine were collected at sea and 163 of them were hidden in compartments within the boat. The operation was intercepted by the French Navy, which seized all 211 kilos of the drug. Lab tests revealed a purity level of between 75% and 86%, with an estimated minimum market value of €3.2 million.
The defendant’s legal team challenged the validity of the telephone surveillance used during the investigation, citing issues such as incomplete recordings and unsigned translations. However, the court rejected these objections, upholding the evidence and maintaining that the offence was a serious crime against public health.
The court found the man to be a direct participant in a criminal organisation dealing with substances that pose severe health risks. Although the defendant claimed during the trial that he had travelled to Martinique on occasion for work and had only agreed to assist with the boat’s mechanical issues after being contacted by an acquaintance from Puerto Colón, the court did not accept this explanation.
Investigators testified that the operation had been carried out in coordination with French authorities, and surveillance activities were conducted near a local golf course where meetings between suspects had taken place. One person involved in those meetings was ultimately acquitted, as their role was limited to organising tourist excursions.
The sentence highlights the serious consequences of drug trafficking, especially when carried out under the guise of legitimate tourist activities.
