Spain Cocaine Bust Worth $77 Million Found In Fishing Boat Outside Canary Islands

A fishing boat with over 6,500 pounds of cocaine was discovered by Spanish police just outside of the Canary Islands.

Spanish Police reported the discovery on Sunday after the 65-foot-long boat called the “AKT 1” was found on Wednesday in the Atlantic Ocean off of western Africa. There were about 6,614 pounds of cocaine found that was estimated to have a value of around $77.80 million, and was being kept hidden in one of the fuel tanks.

Five arrested in cocaine bust off Spain's Canary Islands https://t.co/mtIL2j6aYq pic.twitter.com/2BBrejy2WO

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April 17, 2022

"When we boarded, (officers) observed the fishing boat was transporting a significant number of bundles usually used for cocaine trafficking, so the five crew members of the boat - four of Turkish nationality and a Georgian citizen - were immediately arrested," a spokesman for the Spanish Civil Guard said.

The five people arrested remain in custody in Las Palmas.

The boat was attempting to blend in with other fishing boats but was spotted by a Spanish air patrol for being suspicious.

The drugs were believed to come from an unspecified location in South America, police said.

Spain's seaports have long been a main hub for cocaine trafficking to Europe.