Spanish authorities stormed the vessel Seefuchs about 100 nautical miles south of the Spanish coast and seized 15 tonnes of hashish from its cargo.[1][2] Five people were arrested on board during the assault, and three more members of the same gang were arrested in five house searches carried out simultaneously across Spain.[1][2]
The investigation had begun at the end of 2020 after Spanish investigators uncovered an organised crime group smuggling hashish from Morocco to Spain by sea.[2] The group bought the Seefuchs in November 2020, moved it to Portimao in Portugal to repaint it and enlarge its storage capacity, and sailed it to Morocco in June 2021 under surveillance before loading the drugs and heading back toward the Gibraltar Strait.[2]
A cross-border operation
The operation was carried out by the Civil Guard and the Tax Agency with Portugal’s Judicial Police, supported by Europol’s financial crime centre, which mapped the network across Spain and Portugal.[2] Officers also seized 60,000 euros in cash and a luxury yacht in Lanzarote used for drug transport.[2] A Europol specialist was deployed to Spain for the action day to cross-check operational information in real time.[2]
