Dutch arrested in Spain’s record 35,000-kg cocaine bust off Western Sahara
Spanish Guardia Civil officers seized a record 35,000 to 40,000 kilograms of cocaine from the cargo ship Arconian off the coast of Western Sahara and arrested 23 people, most of them Dutch, Filipino, and Angolan nationals.
The force described the Atlantic operation as historic and record-breaking as part of a major international drug trafficking crackdown.
The vessel, registered in the Comoros Islands, left Freetown, Sierra Leone, and was heading for Libya when it was intercepted by the Guardia Civil’s Maritime Service vessel Duque de Ahumada near the coast of Western Sahara. The ship was escorted to the Spanish naval base in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where it arrived Sunday afternoon. Inspection and unloading of its holds were underway on Monday.
The Asociación Unificada de la Guardia Civil (AUGC) called the bust “historical” and praised the crew of the Duque de Ahumada. “The crew of the ship that made this possible, the Duque de Ahumada, once again shows what this institution is made of,” the union said on X.
Official Guardia Civil spokespersons have declined to release details of the operation, which is under seal by a judge at Spain’s National Court (Audiencia Nacional). Sources close to the investigation told EFE it is likely the largest or one of the largest cocaine seizures ever made in Spain.
Previous Spanish records stood at 13,000 kilograms seized on land in Algeciras in October 2024 and 10,000 kilograms seized at sea west of El Hierro in January 2026.
