• The actions, which began on September 10 and concluded today with the closing ceremony in Las Palmas, represent the continuation of a joint air-naval device within the framework of the "Pascal" project for surveillance and control of maritime spaces.

• Within the framework of the operation, more than 50 sightings have been made and three major interventions have been carried out with the boarding of a sailboat, a fishing boat and a merchant ship that are part of the logistical network of drug trafficking organizations.

October 10, 2024.- The customs of Spain and France have completed today with a closing ceremony in Las Palmas the operation known as "Pascal-Lino 2024", a joint air-naval maritime surveillance device in the North Atlantic that has resulted in the seizure of four tons of cocaine and five tons of hashish following three major interventions of vessels that are part of the logistical network of drug trafficking organizations.

During today's event, the Director of the Customs and Excise Department of the Tax Agency, Nerea Rodríguez, and the Director General of French Customs, Florian Colas, together with the Government delegate in the Canary Islands, Anselmo Pestana, and the Special Delegate of the Tax Agency in the Canary Islands, Carmen Guillén, congratulated the crews of the ship "Petrel" and the "DFP3" of the French Customs, in the presence of civil and military authorities. Rodríguez stressed the importance of Operation Pascal as a symbol of customs cooperation in Europe and an example of international coordination in the field of maritime customs surveillance.

Operation Pascal-Lino 2024 was jointly led by the French National Directorate of Customs and Coast Guard and the Deputy Directorate of Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency. This year, the resources provided by the Spanish Customs were composed of the Special Operations Vessel "Petrel" and naval and air resources from the regional areas with a maritime base in the Cantabrian Sea, air resources from Galicia, and personnel from the regional area of Andalusia in the Gulf of Cadiz, as well as from the Canary Islands. French Customs has deployed an aircraft and the ocean-going vessel "DFP3".

The information was analysed in real time by groups of analysts from the Permanent Operational Coordination Centre (CECOP) of the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency based in Madrid, with liaison officers from French Customs deployed for direct coordination between personnel.

Nine tons of narcotics seized

In the last 30 days, the troops and resources deployed have allowed the seizure of nine tons of narcotics through the intervention of three main objectives: a Brazilian fishing boat and a Tanzanian-flagged merchant ship carrying nearly four tons of cocaine, as well as a Polish-flagged sailboat loaded with nearly five tons of hashish.  Likewise, more than 50 sightings of vessels have been made, which have been detected by aerial means and analysed by the maritime intelligence units of the two customs offices.

The operation represents a further step in the ongoing efforts of Spanish and French customs to improve information exchange procedures and coordinate appropriate operational measures to prevent the commission of any type of illicit activity in the maritime sphere.

Although the "Pascal-Lino 2024" operation is coming to a close today in the port of Las Palmas, the intensification of surveillance in the spaces designated for its deployment, as well as the information collected, reinforce lines of investigation and initiatives to be implemented in the aero-naval coordination between the customs of both countries.