Spanish police seize more than $250M worth of cocaine

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) – Spanish police said on Thursday that they have seized €233 million ($254 million) worth of cocaine in part of an anti-drug operation that saw 13 people arrested.

A total of 6.5 tons of cocaine were discovered hiding in homes and warehouses in Andalusia.

Police also seized around €1.5 million cash, various vehicles and valuable watches, according to a statement.

Police first detected the criminal organization, headed by one of the main drug dealers in Spain, last October.

The vast sums of money being made in the drug trade were allegedly being laundered through a business dedicated to buying and selling frozen fish.

But the real money was made buying large quantities of cocaine from South America and importing it to Spain through maritime shipping.

Police say the modus operandi involved smuggling the cocaine amid banana shipments coming from Colombia and Ecuador to the Spanish port of Algeciras. The gang had also sought to pay off Spanish port authorities.

Indeed, banana shipments have become one of the most popular fronts for drug traffickers in recent years. The trend has been found by police in Portugal, the UK, Spain, and Belgium to name a few countries.

In 2022, nearly $100 million in cocaine was accidentally delivered to supermarkets in the Czech Republic.