Spanish police announced Wednesday, November 30 the seizure of 5.6 tons of cocaine worth more than 340 million euros in the port of Valencia (east), which is a record for four years.
Police discovered the cocaine in a container from South America and arrived at the Mediterranean port, one of the largest in Europe, the interior ministry said in a statement.
The investigation began in 2021 after suspicions around a criminal organization "
taking advantage
" of the import of fruits and vegetables to bring drugs into Spain.
A police spokesman said no arrests had been made so far and the investigation was still ongoing.
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Authorities did not say when the operation took place, or which country the container came from.
The announcement of this seizure comes two days after that by Europol of the dismantling of a “
super cartel
” controlling around a third of the cocaine trade in Europe, by the authorities of six countries, including Spain.
The Spanish Civil Guard reported that 13 people had been arrested in Spain as part of this joint operation.
The cartel moved cocaine from Panama to Spain via the Mediterranean ports of Algeciras, Barcelona and Valencia.
Spain's proximity to Morocco, a major hashish producer, and its close ties to South America, where cocaine originates, make it one of the main gateways for drugs into Europe .
