28 crew members of a cargo ship from Colombia with 4.500 kilos of cocaine arrested

 

Agents of the National Police, in a joint operation with the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, have intervened 62 miles southwest of the Canary Islands on the freighter 'Orión V' when it was carrying more than 4.500 kilos of cocaine. Following the interception of the ship by the Special Operations Vessel 'Fulmar' of the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, its 28 crew members, of nine different nationalities, have been arrested. The cargo ship, with the same Togolese flag and similar dimensions as the 'Blume' boarded in the middle of this month also in waters near the Canary Islands, was transporting livestock from Colombia to the Middle East.

 

The American DEA, the Atlantic Analysis and Operations Center (MAOC-N) and the Intelligence Center Against Terrorism and Organized Crime (CITCO) collaborated in the operation, as well as the Togolese authorities.

 

 

 

The investigation began as a result of investigations carried out jointly by the National Police and the Customs Surveillance Service, which determined the possible involvement of a vessel suspected of illicit drug trafficking from South America.

 

Since 2020, the National Police and the Customs Surveillance Service have been monitoring this vessel ORION V (former SPIRIDON), suspected of being used to transport significant quantities of drugs. The narcotic was loaded in port, or transferred to them on the high seas.

 

This vessel was already analyzed within the framework of an investigation carried out by the Central Narcotics Brigade and the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency in which, among others, the “Santorum” brothers, in charge of the reception and introduction of significant quantities of cocaine. Despite having been subjected to control and search on that occasion, no drugs could be found inside, although there were sufficient indications to confirm that it was a vessel that transported narcotics with the excuse of transporting livestock - to countries such as Libya, Angola, Saudi Arabia, Curacao, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Macao, Kuwait and Qatar -, offering products from livestock treated and manipulated in conditions suitable for international trade.

 

 

 

Finally, the Deputy Directorate of Customs Surveillance established an air-naval device that allowed the 'Fulmar' ship to locate and board the cargo ship on the afternoon of January 24.

 

After inspecting the common areas of the merchant, the presence of an undetermined number of bales usually used for cocaine trafficking was detected in a feed silo. For this reason, the 28 crew members of the boat were arrested: ten Tanzanian citizens, five Syrians, four Kenyans, two Ecuadorians, two Panamanians, two Colombians, one Dominican, one Nepalese and one Nicaraguan, as well as the arrest of the ship for transfer to the port of Las Palmas. The operation has been directed and coordinated by the Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office of the National Court.

 

 

 

 

 

Both the detainees, the boat, the drugs and the police proceedings will be placed at the disposal of the Central Investigative Court acting as Guard of the National Court.

 

Nine tons of cocaine in the span of a week

 

This operation is one of those carried out in the fight against drug trafficking in the so-called 'Atlantic Route' of cocaine used by merchant and fishing vessels, from South America, which transship the narcotic substances in the middle of the Atlantic for their subsequent introduction into the European continent.

 

The interception of the 'Orion V' was carried out just six days after the one carried out on January 18, when the freighter 'Blume' was intercepted, with very similar characteristics – both about 100 meters long – and weighing 4.500 kilos. of cocaine on board. The two operations carried out on the cargo ships have allowed nine tons of drugs to be seized in a short period of time.