Agadir – Spanish authorities have intercepted one of the largest cocaine shipments in an operation carried out off the coast of Dakhla.
According to Spanish media reports, the civil guard seized between 30 and 45 tons of cocaine aboard a vessel named Arconian, sailing under the flag of Comoros.
The interception took place on Friday in Atlantic waters near Dakhla, under the coordination of Spain’s National Court. The ship had reportedly departed from Sierra Leone on April 22 and was heading to Libya, with arrival initially expected in May.
Authorities found around 1,500 packages on board, each weighing between 25 and 30 kilograms. The vessel was later escorted to the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where it arrived on Sunday afternoon.
A total of 23 suspects were arrested during the operation and, along with the ship, transferred to the Canary Islands for further investigation.
Spanish sources describe the seizure as the largest cocaine interception ever recorded at sea, with estimates suggesting the total quantity could exceed 40,000 kilograms.
“The Spanish Civil Guard has seized the largest cocaine shipment on the high seas in history. An amount between 30,000 and 45,000 kilos of the drug was transported aboard the ship Arconian, which was sailing under the Comoros flag,” said the Spanish outlet Canal Sur.
The operation involved multiple units of the Spanish Civil Guard, including the ocean-going patrol vessel Duque de Ahumada, based in Cádiz, as well as the patrol boat Río Guadiato, the Special Intervention Unit, and the Central Operational Unit (UCO).
The investigation remains ongoing under judicial supervision by Spain’s National Court, with authorities continuing to examine the full scale of the trafficking network behind the shipment.
