Spain Seizes 6.7 Tons of Cocaine Near Canary Islands

Spanish authorities have announced the foiling of two major cocaine trafficking operations around the Canary Islands within a few days, resulting in the seizure of more than 6.7 tons of drugs and the arrest of 13 people.
In an operation on Friday, September 4, the Civil Guard intercepted a speedboat about 70 nautical miles south of Gran Canaria, finding 139 bales of cocaine weighing 3,360 kilograms, as well as weapons.
Two days earlier, authorities had boarded a tugboat flying the Panamanian flag, seizing 3,361 kilograms of cocaine and arresting eight crew members of Albanian and Filipino nationality.
These operations highlight the growing importance of maritime routes near the Canary Islands for drug trafficking networks, as routes to Europe shift.