Spanish police arrest five people after a fishing boat carrying nearly 3 tonnes of cocaine is intercepted off the Canary Islands.
Five people have been arrested after a fishing boat carrying nearly 3 tonnes of cocaine was intercepted off the Canary Islands, Spanish police said.
A Spanish air patrol noticed the suspicious boat, the AKT 1, and it was stopped on April 13 by a Spanish coast guard patrol about 300 nautical miles south of the Spanish archipelago as it tried to pass itself off as another fishing boat. Spanish police seized 2.9 tonnes of cocaine, estimated to have a street value of 72 million euros , which had been hidden in one of the boat's fuel tanks.
The boat was returned to Gran Canaria on Saturday and the five detainees were remanded in custody in Las Palmas."When we boarded, [officers] observed the fishing boat was transporting a significant number of bundles usually used for cocaine trafficking, so the five crew members of the boat — four of Turkish nationality and a Georgian citizen — were immediately arrested," a spokesman for the Spanish Civil Guard said.
Police said they were focusing on cracking down on what they call the "African route" for South American traffickers who transfer loads of drugs to fishing vessels in the middle of the Atlantic before smuggling them into Europe.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Boat capsizes off Libya, leaving 35 people dead or presumed deadWooden vessel launched from Sabratha, a major departure point for Europe, says UN migration agency
Read more »
Six dead, 29 missing after boat carrying migrants from North Africa capsizes off Libya, UN saysA migrant boat capsizes off the Libyan coast, leaving at least 35 people dead or presumed dead, the UN migration agency reports.
Read more »
US supports Ukraine's claim that Moskva was hit by anti-ship missileA senior US defence official says the Moskva was hit by at least one Neptune missile on Wednesday, rebutting Russia's claim that the boat sank in stormy weather.
Read more »
Diesel tanker sinks off Tunisia risking environmental disasterShip carrying 750 tonnes of fuel from Egypt to Malta ran into difficulty in bad weather on Friday evening
Read more »
‘Do we sell now?’: Kurnell residents report health issues after fuel spillAmpol estimates over 700 tonnes of “oily water” washed over the suburb after a retention pit overflowed due to the heavy rain earlier this month.
Read more »
Tunisia’s neighbours offer help to contain damage after fuel ship sankNavies try to limit environmental harm after vessel carrying 750-1,000 tonnes went down near Gabes
Read more »