Spanish National Police agents, in a joint operation with the Portuguese Judicial Police and the Customs Supervision of the Tax Agency, have seized a non-flagged fishing vessel in the waters near Cape Verde in Africa, loaded with 1000 kilograms of cocaine. The operation was carried out in collaboration with the US DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) and the Spanish Navy. Six crew members of the vessel, which was sailing towards Spain, were arrested, two of whom are Albanian.

The information available to the investigators coincided with that of the anti-drug trafficking investigation units of the Portuguese Judicial Police, therefore a joint operation was created to find the exact location of the cocaine shipment. With the alert received, the rapid interception of the vessel was designed as the most effective scenario to prevent the diversion of drugs in a diversified manner towards Spain.

From this moment, the National Police coordinated with the Customs Supervision of the Tax Agency to locate the point where the vessel was located and to board it, which was finally carried out by the patrol boat of the Tax Agency 'Fulmar' in the Atlantic Ocean , 600 miles from Cape Verde.

Agents noticed that the vessel, named 'Mathieu' and registered in the port of Georgetown, was sailing without a flag. From here, the Guyanese authorities were asked to confirm the registration of this vessel in their country and authorize its transfer to the nearest Spanish port.

During the intervention, the agents found on the back deck 40 packages of those usually used to transport cocaine hydrochloride. Based on the events, the agents detained the six crew members of the fishing vessel, two of them of Albanian nationality and the rest of Guyanese nationality, and secured the vessel.

After the detainees were transferred on board the 'Fulmar', the towing of the fishing vessel and its transfer to the Spanish vessel in the port of Arrecife (Lanzarote) began.