Spanish Customs Surveillance intercepted a flagless fishing vessel with Arabic lettering on its bow on the night of 6 March 2014, about 60 miles south-east of Cabo de Gata, and found 450 bales of hashish hidden in its hold.[1] Aerial surveillance from the Spanish Tax Agency and the French Customs Service had first spotted the vessel that afternoon 25 to 30 nautical miles south of Almería, in waters where that type of boat is not usually found.[1]

The patrol vessel Alca, based in Almería, boarded the boat and found hashish that pending official weighing could amount to around 13,000 kilos.[1] The eight crew members, all Egyptian nationals, were arrested immediately, and the vessel was towed to the port of Almería.[1] The detainees, the vessel and the drugs were handed to the duty investigating magistrate’s court in Almería.[1]

The agency presented the seizure, under Operation Otero, as the fifth large hashish interception on the eastern Mediterranean route since June 2013, bringing that route’s running total past 60 tonnes.[1]