A joint operation by the Tax Agency and the Guardia Civil

• The drug was hidden in the submerged part of a merchant ship from Latin America

February 9, 2023.- The Tax Agency and the Civil Guard seized on January 22 more than 40 kilos of cocaine hidden in a merchant ship from Brazil that was in the port of La Luz in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The drugs were secured with ropes to one of the hull's vents, in the vessel's cooling systems.

The operation was based on a series of clues that led investigators to determine that a cargo ship located in the port of La Luz could be transporting narcotic substances. In this regard, the US DEA had reported that the ship, coming from two Brazilian ports (Santos and Portocel), planned to continue its destination to Tarragona after completing its refueling and provisioning operations in the port of Las Palmas.

In a framework of close collaboration between the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency and the Civil Guard in Las Palmas, an exhaustive analysis of the vessels that fit the verified information was carried out. This thorough documentary analysis of the vessels originating from these 'hot routes' led to the selection for inspection of two vessels that were likely to have been used by smuggling organisations.

The Civil Guard and the crew of a Customs Surveillance Service vessel identified the ship's occupants by inspecting the deck, at which point the Civil Guard's Special Underwater Activities Group (GEAS) carried out the two appropriate inspections, locating two suspicious packages on one of the selected vessels, with the added difficulties arising from adverse weather conditions.

The drug stash was secured with ropes to one of the hull's grates, in the ship's refrigeration systems. To prevent them from being sucked in during the journey, several iron weight discs had been attached to them. After being recovered, both packages were taken ashore.

Once at the police station, the appropriate 'narco test' checks were carried out, giving a positive result for cocaine, and showing a total weight of more than 40 kilos, with a value of more than one and a half million euros.

The police investigations in conjunction with the seized substance have been made available to the Court of Instruction on Duty in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

This operation is one of the many operations that the Customs Surveillance Service and the Civil Guard have been carrying out as a result of their efforts focused on the pursuit of drug trafficking, especially cocaine from Latin America. In the last two months, more than 170 kilos of cocaine have been seized using the same modus operandi, hiding the drugs in the hulls of ships that are planning to anchor in the Port of La Luz.