7,000 kilos of cocaine found on a cargo ship south west of the Canary Islands
The National Police and the Spanish Navy have carried out one of the largest anti-drug operations associated with the Canary Islands, intercepting a cargo ship in the Atlantic Ocean transporting approximately 7,000 kilos of cocaine. Security sources confirmed the details of the high-risk operation to the EFE news agency.
The vessel was intercepted 290 nautical miles from the Canaries, the equivalent of around 535 kilometres, in an area frequently monitored due to its use as a trafficking corridor between South America and West Africa.
The ship’s suspicious route and behaviour triggered a coordinated response between maritime intelligence units and counter-narcotics teams.
A specialist police intervention unit was deployed to the scene aboard the Rayo (pictured), a modern offshore patrol vessel belonging to the Spanish Navy. Once alongside the cargo ship, officers conducted a controlled boarding in challenging sea conditions.
The crew was detained without incident, and an extensive inspection uncovered the multi-tonne haul of cocaine concealed within containers on board.
Authorities describe the seizure as “one of the largest ever linked to the Canary Islands,” highlighting the region’s strategic role in major Atlantic smuggling networks. Over the past decade, the archipelago has become a key waypoint for traffickers attempting to move high-purity cocaine from Latin America into Europe.
The intercepted cargo ship is now being escorted to the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where the narcotics will be formally catalogued and secured under police custody. Investigators will analyse the route, false cargo documentation, and communications recovered on board to identify the criminal organisation behind the shipment. Law enforcement agencies expect further arrests as the international investigation develops.
Spanish authorities emphasise that the operation reflects the growing importance of joint naval-police deployments in the Atlantic, where traffickers increasingly rely on large commercial vessels to mask multi-million-euro consignments of drugs.
Officials are expected to release additional information once the ship docks in Tenerife and the full quantity of seized cocaine is verified.
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