6.5 tonnes of cocaine hidden in containerised banana shipments moving from South America to Spain have been seized as part of an international operation that dismantled a major Spanish criminal network involved in a range of illicit activities.

The criminal gang smuggled cocaine from Colombia to Spain using the port of Algeciras as its import hub in a “wholesale type of business structure,” said Europol. In an operation spanning several months, Colombian authorities intercepted two shipments totalling 4.25 tonnes of cocaine at the port of Cartagena. Spanish authorities then seized a third shipment of 2.3 tonnes while en route from the port of Algeciras to a nearby warehouse.

The criminal organisation was well-organised and well-informed, latterly diverting its drug smuggling activities to banana shipments direct from Ecuador to avoid further interceptions in Colombia.

Source: Europol