Five Tonnes of Cocaine Seized and Six Suspects Arrested at Port of Barcelona

May 27: Spanish National Police have arrested six workers linked to companies working in the Port of Barcelona in an operation against a group of drug traffickers that has resulted in the seizure of five tons of cocaine.

Italian and Colombian authorities reported the existence of containers destined for the Port of Barcelona that could contain narcotics in their cargo. This was verified by investigators who proceeded to seize two containers: one with 643 kilos of cocaine and the other with 2,443 kilos.

This was followed by the arrest of a Spanish citizen who was part of a network involved in receiving illicit merchandise that arrived in Barcelona by sea containers.

The six detainees are employees linked to companies that work in the port, including two computer specialists operating in the port terminal, who allegedly placed the containers loaded with cocaine in areas with lower security measures in place and allowed members of the criminal group to access them.

The rest of the gang was made up of workers linked to transportation in the port area who were responsible for removing the drug that entered in large quantities.

The investigation began last January thanks to the international collaboration of the Italian and Colombian authorities with the Spanish National Police and Spanish Tax Agency.

The agents kept the investigation open, which allowed the further interception of another container with more than 2,000 kilos of cocaine in one of the port terminals.

In addition to the interception of five tons of cocaine, seven home searches were carried out resulting in the seizure of 27,370 euros in cash, six vehicles, encrypted cell phones and computer equipment.

Source: EU-OCS