Spanish police seize 1.5 tonnes of cocaine in Galicia; Croatian national among three arrested
Drugs were found in a seaside property in A Pobra do Caramiñal; investigators probe links to criminal groups from the former Yugoslavia.
Spanish police seized about 1.5 tonnes of cocaine in A Pobra do Caramiñal on the Galician coast and arrested three people, one of whom is a Croatian national.
Where the drugs were found
Officers discovered the shipment stored temporarily in a seaside building, according to investigators. The vessel that allegedly carried the drugs has not been located, and authorities believe the consignment was placed ashore shortly before the raid.
Officials said the Croatian detainee was assigned the role of a 'notar'. The term describes a person sent by a trafficking organisation to supervise the operation and protect its backers' interests; his duties reportedly included overseeing delivery and quantity and verifying whether contractual conditions had been met.
Investigators have in recent years documented cooperation between local Galician criminal groups and individuals from countries of the former Yugoslavia — Montenegro, Serbia and Croatia — and they are now checking whether those networks are linked to this seizure.
The Galician shoreline, with its rocky coves and Atlantic exposure, is a well-known corridor for cocaine shipments arriving from South America. Police say enquiries are continuing and further arrests or seizures are possible as they try to trace the route of the contraband and the vessel involved.
Photo: press material from the event
