Lajme flash
Narco-sailing vessel with over 2 tons of cocaine seized in Spain, an Albanian on board
2026-09-21 11:38:00 / AKTUALITET
Over 2,000 kilograms of cocaine seized on a sailboat in the open sea, with four arrested. The ship was seized in the open sea during an operation carried out by the Spanish Customs Surveillance Service, with four arrested of various nationalities.
An investigation carried out by the Customs Surveillance Service in Spain has led to the seizure of a cargo of more than 2,000 kilograms of cocaine, following the capture of a sailboat on the high seas, which will be taken to the port of Vigo today.
During the operation, four crew members of various nationalities were arrested. Among them is suspected to be an Albanian citizen and at least two others of South American origin.
The sailboat was towed by the Tax Agency Service vessel "Petrel I" towards the Bay of Vigo, after being captured at a point that has not yet been announced. This is one of the most important operations this year carried out solely by the Customs Supervision.
So far, no details have been released about the investigation, which is believed to have begun in Catalonia and which made it possible to locate the sailboat while it was sailing in the waters of the Atlantic.
This is the second “narco-sailboat” seized by the “Petrel” this summer. In June, a joint operation involving French customs, the US DEA, the British NCA and Frontex, coordinated in Spain by the Organized Crime Intelligence Center, led to the seizure of this vessel by a Customs Surveillance patrol near the Canary Islands, with nearly 500 kilograms of cocaine hidden in its cabins.
The summer has been particularly busy for security forces fighting drug trafficking in Galicia. In August alone, a total of three tons of cocaine were seized in two operations carried out in Muxía and A Pobra do Caramiñal.
The last drug shipment from a sailing ship to the port of Vigo took place two years ago. Even then, it was the "Petrel" that transported 200 kilograms of cocaine and the arrested crew members to the Vigo terminal, after the ship had ended up partially sunk in the open sea due to its damaged condition during the intervention.
Security forces had discovered years ago the use by criminal organizations of "narco-sailors", recreational vessels that crossed the Atlantic to smuggle cocaine into Europe.
Over the last decade, up to four sailing ships have been seized in various investigative operations conducted by both Customs Supervision and the National Police and the Civil Guard, with links to Vigo and which ended up being brought to port.
In addition to the "Assahio", whose 200 kilograms of drugs arrived at the Vigo terminal along with the arrested crew, there were others that preceded it.
In 2023, the sailing ship "Goldwasser" was intercepted. This was one of the most important operations of that time due to the large illegal cargo, of approximately three tons of cocaine, as well as one of the most complex due to the difficult weather conditions and sea state.
The sailboat was seized by the National Police and Customs Supervision 480 miles from the Azores Islands.
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