Police seize 1.3 tons of cocaine from a Malaga bound ship after stowaway drug dealers attempted to unload it

SPANISH police found over one tonne (one tonne) of cocaine in a cargo ship heading to Malaga. Intelligence revealed that drug smugglers had hidden on board the ship to retrieve their stash during transit.

The dramatic operation unfolded on Wednesday night, when the Guardia Civil intercepted the vessel some 60 kilometres off the coast of Cádiz, escorting it into port for inspection.

Once docked, officers discovered 38 tightly packed bales of cocaine – weighing a combined 1,300 kilos – concealed near containers on the upper deck.

Investigators believe that the cocaine was loaded on the boat earlier and that the criminals boarded it in open water with the intention of removing the drugs from their containers and transferring them to another vessel under the cover of night.

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Stowaways believed to be part a narco-trafficking network had infiltrated a ship in order to perform the mid-sea unloading without raising suspicions in port.

Officials are still investigating the exact origin of the cocaine, but they suspect that it was brought to Galicia via sea and then hidden on a cargo ship before arriving in Vigo.

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The search of the vessel was continued Thursday, due to its size. Officers were working to rule out any hidden narcotics.

The Guardia Civil has described the operation as an important blow against drug traffickers that use Spain’s maritime routes for moving cocaine north from South America.

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