Spanish customs authorities announced Monday that they had captured eight tonnes of cocaine in a container from Suriname, one of the largest such shipments to date.
The cargo arrived at the southern port of Algeciras, containing a metal structure composed of a particular alloy intended to confound customs agents’ scanning equipment, according to a statement from the Agencia Tributaria tax and customs department.
Nonetheless, the scanner detected “a large quantity of merchandise” in the building, which turned out to be eight tonnes of “very high purity cocaine”.
Police apprehended three suspects, including the guy who received the cargo.
Spain is a major entrance point for drugs into Europe due to its close relations with Latin America, the primary supply of cocaine, and its proximity to Morocco, a vital source of cannabis resin.
On Friday night, two police officers were killed when their patrol boat was attacked by a speedboat piloted by drug traffickers off the southern port of Barbate, 70 kilometers (40 miles) west of Algeciras.
The incident resulted in eight arrests and two police injuries.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said Monday that the government would “continue investing whatever is necessary” to combat drug smuggling in the Gibraltar Strait, where trafficking is rampant.
However, he refused to quit, as demanded by Spain’s right-wing opposition and local police unions, who have consistently requested additional resources to combat trafficking.