Spanish National Police dismantle a criminal organization dedicated to cocaine trafficking in the Canary Islands using “narco-boats

Spanish National Police officers have dismantled one of the largest criminal organizations dedicated to cocaine trafficking, operating from South America to the Canary Islands using “narco-boats.” Twenty-nine searches were carried out, and 48 individuals were arrested in an operation involving the NCA, DEA, Europol, MAOC-N, and authorities from France, Portugal, Colombia, and Cape Verde. Sixty-nine vehicles, six properties, bank accounts, approximately €100,000 in assets, as well as electronic and geolocation equipment for maritime trafficking were seized.

Go Fast Method

After months of investigation, this operation has dismantled a powerful criminal organization operating from South America to the Canary Islands. It specialized in smuggling large quantities of cocaine into Spanish territory via high-speed vessels, known as the go-fast system.

They used an abandoned wreck as a refueling platform

They had 11 speedboats, which departed from strategic points in the Atlantic, transferring the drugs from mother ships on the high seas to the Canary Islands coasts through a sophisticated maritime and logistical infrastructure. They used encrypted communications, satellite terminals, and a coded language to avoid detection and hinder any police investigation. Furthermore, it was discovered that they used an abandoned wreck as a refueling platform for the boats or speedboats, even locating numerous empty canisters and flasks, which they subsequently transferred to the vessel.

A police operation was carried out, carrying out 29 searches on the islands of Lanzarote (14), Gran Canaria (13) and Fuerteventura (2), in which approximately 100,000 euros were seized, drugs destined for medium-scale trafficking, three short firearms, numerous documents and equipment used for maritime trafficking such as satellite phones and geolocation devices. They have also managed to intervene and block 69 vehicles -19 of them boats and jet skis-, 6 properties and numerous bank accounts of up to 9 different entities.

Thanks to collaboration with entities such as the National Crime Agency (NCA), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Europol, the Maritime Analysis and Operations Center for Narcotics (MAOC-N), and authorities from France, Poland, Portugal, Colombia, and Cape Verde, this criminal network was dismantled, with the arrest of 48 people suspected of belonging to a criminal organization and drug trafficking.

Furthermore, the investigation has revealed that the criminal organization had coordinators in the Canary Islands responsible for receiving and distributing narcotics from Colombia and Brazil. The investigation has led to the seizure of nearly 3,800 kilos of cocaine from this criminal organization so far this year.

The investigation was led by Central Investigation Court No. 3 (Doña María Tardón) and the Special Anti-Drug Prosecutor’s Office of the National Court.

Operation co-financed with European Funds from the Internal Security Fund

National Police officers, in collaboration with EUROPOL and other law enforcement authorities from various countries, carried out this operation with funding from the European Union. This strategy focuses on four key points: establishing a future-proof security environment, combating emerging threats, protecting European citizens from terrorism and organized crime, and forging a robust European security ecosystem.

To achieve these objectives, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME), together with EU agencies and specific EU funds, such as the Internal Security Funds (ISF), support Member States in combating criminal threats through coordinated operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks and their business models. Interventions carried out under this scheme have been co-financed by the European Union, as part of support to Member States in combating criminal networks that constitute the most significant threats to the security of EU citizens and the Union as a whole.