"Drug traffickers are giving police no respite in Galicia. Although cocaine seizures haven't yet reached the levels of 20 years ago, when they hit record highs, this Spanish northwestern region facing the Atlantic Ocean is experiencing a surge in shipments: 11.5 tons worth 800 million ($918 million) have been seized so far in 2025, compared with 10.5 tons in all of 2024. This surge has been compounded by the arrival of more narco-submarines, intercepted thanks to effective collaboration between international anti-drug agencies."
"In this relentless battle against drug traffickers, this exchange of information prioritizes stemming the flow of shipments across the Atlantic. With two months left in the year and with the expectation that increased consumption during the Christmas season will further boost drug shipments the rate of seizures has risen to an average of almost a ton of cocaine per month, both at sea and on land or in commercial ports such as the one in the city of Vigo."
"With narco-submarines as the most undetectable means of transportation, every drug trafficker's venture now has a greater chance of success. The arrival of these crudely constructed vessels in Europe coincides with a cocaine production boom in Colombia, the main supplier, and the number of seizures represents a tiny fraction of the total shipments estimated to be circulating in the ocean, according to the police."
Galicia has seen 11.5 tons of cocaine seized so far in 2025, up from 10.5 tons in all of 2024, with an estimated street value of €800 million ($918 million). Narco-submarines have increased, and several have been intercepted through effective international anti-drug cooperation aimed at stopping Atlantic shipments. Seizures now average almost a ton of cocaine per month at sea, on land, and in commercial ports such as Vigo, where concealed consignments from Latin America complicate detection. Narco-submarines are highly undetectable, coinciding with a Colombian cocaine production boom, and many vessels are deliberately sunk, so seized quantities represent only a small fraction of total shipments.
Read at english.elpais.com
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