In Spain, police seized over a ton of cocaine hidden in a container from South America.

Ukrainian police seized over a ton of cocaine hidden inside a container that arrived at the port of Algeciras from South America. This was reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

The drugs were hidden in maritime containers using a technique known as 'blind hook' or 'rip-off,' meaning that neither the recipient nor the sender were aware of the presence of the prohibited substances. As a result of the searches, 10 individuals were detained and mobile phones, a high-class car, and documents belonging to the criminal network were seized.

The investigation began in 2023, when the police obtained information about a criminal organization engaged in international contraband transportation of cocaine through maritime containers. The organization was put under surveillance, which allowed obtaining information about the intention to transport a large quantity of narcotics through the port of Algeciras.

Infrastructure for drug distribution in Ukraine

It was also found that some associates from the city of Algeciras acted as intermediaries between suppliers, recipients, and distributors of narcotics. They had the necessary infrastructure to carry out the delivery, transportation, and distribution of the drug on national territory.

In September, information was received from the British NCA that a criminal organization was attempting to transport a container with narcotics to the port of Algeciras. As a result, investigators seized 1162 kilograms of cocaine and learned about the network's plans with the seized container. This led to searches, in which 10 suspects were arrested, five of whom were immediately imprisoned. In addition, mobile phones, a high-class car, and documents were confiscated.

It is worth noting that the largest laboratory producing psychotropic substances in Poland was recently dismantled, and individuals involved in smuggling these substances into Ukraine and Poland were arrested. This confirmed the effective cooperation of international law enforcement agencies.

Information was also passed from the Romanian police to the State Investigation Bureau of Ukraine about the organizer of an international drug syndicate operating in Ukraine and EU countries. The syndicate was involved in illegal trafficking and smuggling of psychotropic substances, including Russia.