Uruguayan arrested with 2,100 kg of cocaine on sailing boat 400 miles off Galicia
A Uruguayan and three other crew members were detained on a sailing boat carrying 2,100 kilos of cocaine 400 miles off the coast of Galicia. A joint operation by Spain and France dismantled an Atlantic drug-trafficking network.
Maritime operation between Spain and France dismantles drug network in the Atlantic
A Uruguayan citizen was arrested along with an Argentine, a Colombian and an Albanian aboard a sailing boat laden with 2,100 kilos of cocaine, in a joint operation carried out by the customs authorities of Spain and France around 400 miles off the coast of Galicia, the Spanish Tax Agency's Customs Surveillance Service reported on Monday, according to subrayado.com.uy.
The so-called Operation Doncella allowed the dismantling of a network dedicated to supplying vessels for the maritime transport of large volumes of drugs. In addition to the four crew members of the sailing boat, the authorities detained the leader of the organisation in Girona.
The investigation began in February, when officers identified a 14-metre sailing boat flying a Polish flag moored in a port in the border zone between Spain and France. The owner of the vessel had a record for theft and armed robbery, and the vessel had allegedly taken part days earlier in an illegal drug trafficking operation.
In June, the boat was located in the port of Roses, Girona. On 11 July it set sail without activating the AIS location system, whose use is mandatory during navigation.
With the support of anti-drug agencies from the United Kingdom and United States, through the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre for Illicit Drug Trafficking, the authorities traced the vessel until they located it in the early hours of 14 September off the coast of Galicia. After boarding, personnel found 70 packages of drugs scattered on board, with a total of approximately 2,100 kilos of cocaine.
While the sailing boat was being towed to the port of Vigo, a fifth suspect was detained: a Chilean resident in Girona who acted as head of procurement of vessels with specific characteristics. The authorities expected to arrest within the following hours a Spanish national from Barcelona, identified as being responsible for safeguarding the vessels and monitoring possible approaches by law enforcement.
The case was assigned to the National Court. The detainees face charges of membership in a criminal organisation, smuggling and offences against public health. The investigation remains open and further arrests cannot be ruled out.
Operation Doncella is part of the effort against the so-called 'Atlantic Cocaine Route', a circuit in which sailing boats from South America carry out drug transfers in the middle of the ocean before introducing them into Europe.
Source: Google News UY — Crime