Overview
- The freighter Arconian, which the Guardia Civil stopped Friday near the Canary Islands, carried 30 tonnes of cocaine, eclipsing a 25-ton Hamburg seizure in June 2024.
- Spanish authorities said they worked with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Dutch police, and they have opened an international investigation into the network.
- A Canary Islands judge ordered all 23 crew members, including 17 Filipinos and six from the Netherlands and Suriname, held in pretrial detention.
- Investigators reported finding firearms and ammunition on board and counted 1,279 drug bundles worth more than €812 million at wholesale prices.
- Officials believe the shipment likely left South America to be offloaded at sea onto fast boats for smuggling into Europe.