#maritime-smuggling

#maritime-smuggling

These semi-submersible boats have been used for years by drug gangs to smuggle cocaine from South and Central America. In more recent months as the price of cocaine has plummeted, gangs have changed tactics: instead of letting the boats sink on delivery, they have started to reuse the vessels, setting up a refuelling platform at sea and sending the boats back so they can make as many journeys as possible.

The 15-month investigation began in October 2024 when Policia Nacional officers found 88kg (194lbs) of cocaine in a vehicle in the southern Spanish town of Mijas. The drugs led them to three gangs, including a Balkan cartel, who were working together to bring huge quantities of cocaine into Spain from Colombia. The gangs used the so-called monkey' technique to get the shipments of cocaine into maritime containers that were being transported on container ships, the force said in a statement on Thursday.