Over the past weeks, information has been developed and shared through MAOC-N, that a fishing vessel would be crossing the Atlantic carrying a significant amount of cocaine destined for an unknown location off the Iberian Peninsula. As the target approached European waters, it was possible to put in place an operational plan agreed by several partners, in order to interdict the GLORIA FIGUEIROA at sea, before it could transfer the load to other vessels.
In the early hours of the 12th of November, the Spanish Navy patrol vessel Atalaya, supported by the Special Operations (GEO) group and officers from the Spanish National Police, boarded the GLORIA FIGUEIROA in a position 400nm off Las Palmas (Canary Islands.) The Spanish boarding team was able to identify 100 bales of cocaine in the fish hold, specially conceived to be easily transferred to other vessels at sea.
The vessel was escorted to Las Palmas, where the crew of 14 Ecuadorians and 1 French was presented to the competent judicial authorities.
This significant result is a consequence of extensive exchanges between several law enforcement partners on both sides of the Atlantic. Besides the Spanish National Police and Navy, this operation was supported by the US Drugs Enforcement Administration (DEA) and JIATF-S, the Dutch National Police, the French Customs Service (DNRED) and the Fusion Centre of the Colombian Armada.
