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Armador of Simione Sentenced to 12 Years and €600 Million Over Nearly 3 Tonnes of Cocaine

The ruling signals courts will treat large, ship‑borne drug loads as aggravated public‑health crimes.

Overview

  • The Audiencia Provincial de Pontevedra on Thursday convicted Pablo García as the organizer of the Simione shipment and sentenced him to 12 years in prison plus a €600 million fine.
  • Investigators and the court found the voyage was planned from Luanda with coordination in Dakar and an at‑sea transfer southeast of Cape Verde before heading toward Spain.
  • Guardia Civil units seized 115 bales containing 2,949 packages with a net weight of 2,866.52 kg at 77.3% purity, an illicit market value the court calculated at more than €106 million.
  • Three crew members were convicted as co‑authors and given multi‑year terms (10 years, 9.5 years, 7.5 years) with heavy financial penalties, and a fifth person received six years and a €230,000 fine for land‑based stockpiling and distribution.
  • The court rejected defence challenges to the evidence but the judgment is not final and can be appealed to the TSXG; reporting says García remains in custody and has been linked to a separate Ceuta narcotunnel probe.