The Spanish National Police dismantle an organization that used “seascooter” devices to recover cocaine attached to merchant ships.

Spanish National Police officers have dismantled a network dedicated to recovering cocaine arriving at the ports of Marín and Vigo attached to merchant ships. In this operation, which began after receiving a communication from the American DEA alerting them to a network planning to transport a significant quantity of narcotics, eight people were arrested. Professional “seascooter” type diving equipment was also seized, devices that allow rapid underwater propulsion to travel long distances even in adverse sea conditions.

The operation began in February when, thanks to international cooperation, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) informed the US agency that an international criminal organization was planning to transport a significant amount of cocaine through the Port of Marín (Pontevedra). To do so, they were using a container ship, which was expected to arrive at the port in the early hours of February 21.

When the ship’s arrival and docking at the port were detected, officers conducted a search to locate any narcotic substance it might have contained. Investigators found four bales of cocaine, typically used to conceal and transport cocaine, weighing approximately 120 kilograms, in one of the refrigeration compartments below the waterline.

8 arrested in different locations in Pontevedra
National Police officers were already conducting an investigation into a Galician drug trafficking organization, and their efforts led to the link between this group and the individuals who tried to recover the narcotics on the boat. Investigators clearly and conclusively determined the organization’s structure and the role of each member, leading to an operation that culminated on May 7 with the arrest of eight people in different locations in Pontevedra.

Professional “seascooter” type diving equipment
During the house searches, professional “seascooter”-type diving equipment was seized. These devices allow rapid underwater propulsion to travel long distances even in adverse sea conditions. This raises suspicions that this was the method used to recover the narcotic.

In addition to the “seascooters,” various quantities of narcotics were seized: 150 grams of cocaine, 70 grams of heroin, and 100 grams of hashish, indicating that the suspects were also handling other drugs for sale.

The operation, led by the Second Court of Instruction in Vilagarcía de Arousa and the Special Anti-Drug Prosecutor’s Office in Pontevedra, remains ongoing. Therefore, further arrests and links between the suspects and other shipments seized in Galicia in recent months are not ruled out.