Spain Arrests 3 After Suspects Board Container Ship Dressed As Port Workers To Remove 50 Kg Cocaine

Spanish authorities have arrested three people after two of them allegedly boarded a container ship at the Port of Algeciras and tried to take two bags containing 50 kg of cocaine off the vessel.

The two men were wearing clothes similar to those worn by port workers. A third person stayed on a jet ski near the ship.

Civil Guard officers noticed the jet ski moving suspiciously near the container ship while cargo operations were taking place. They began watching the three people and followed their movements before moving in.

The operation was carried out by the Risk Analysis Unit (ULAR), which includes Customs Surveillance officials from Spain’s Tax Agency and Civil Guard officers. The Civil Guard’s Maritime Service also took part.

The container ship was docked at the Port of Algeciras when the two men boarded it.

After entering the vessel, they allegedly removed two backpacks from one of the shipping containers. They then hid the bags after noticing the presence of the authorities.

Officers found the backpacks during a search of the ship. The backpacks contained 50 packages of cocaine. Together, they weighed 50 kg.

Spain’s Tax Agency estimated that the drugs had a street value of more than 1.5 million euros ($1.7 million).

While officers were searching the container ship, the third person remained on the jet ski.

A vessel from the Civil Guard’s Provincial Maritime Service in Algeciras intercepted him before he could leave the area.

The investigation found that the jet ski had been stolen only a few hours earlier in La Línea de la Concepción.

The three suspects were arrested and handed over to the competent judicial authority along with the seized drugs and other evidence.

A judge ordered all three to be remanded in custody.

Authorities seized another 50 kg of cocaine at the Port of Algeciras in February 2025. In that case, authorities found the drugs inside a container that had arrived from Guayaquil, Ecuador.

References: lavanguardia, europasur