Spain seizes 11 tons of cocaine in shipping containers. Most of the drugs found among frozen tuna

Police officers stand by part of a haul of 11... — Police officers stand by part of a haul of 11 tons of cocaine, displayed in the patio of a police station in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. Spanish authorities say that they have confiscated 11 tons of cocaine and arrested 20 people in two different operations against the smuggling of the illegal drugs inside shipping containers. Investigators believe that the criminal organization was using a frozen seafood company as a front to bring the drug from South America. Credit: AP/Paul White

By The Associated PressDecember 12, 2023

MADRID — Spanish authorities have confiscated 11 tons of cocaine and arrested 20 people in two different operations against the smuggling of the illegal drugs inside shipping containers, Spain’s National Police said Tuesday.

Police said that 7,500 kilograms of cocaine seized by agents in the northwestern city of Vigo were hidden between pieces of frozen tuna. Investigators said that a criminal organization was using a frozen seafood company as a front to bring the drugs from South America to Spain.

A separate sting by police in the Mediterranean city of Valencia led to the seizure of 3,400 kilograms of cocaine found in false bottoms of shipping containers in the eastern city's port.

Police didn't reveal the exact dates of the operation, only indicating that they had been carried out recently. They said both rings were linked to criminal organizations from the Balkans region.

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