Spanish police have arrested 30 people and seized almost 2.5 tonnes of cocaine. They broke a criminal network that used teams of young swimmers to hide drugs on moving ships bound for Europe. These ships were then attacked, and their drug cargo stolen before reaching port. This 15-month probe began in October 2024. Police found 88kg of cocaine in a vehicle in Mijas, a town in southern Spain. This discovery led them to three gangs, including a Balkan cartel, working together to bring cocaine from Colombia to Spain. The police said, “The gangs used the so-called ‘monkey’ technique to get the shipments of cocaine into maritime containers that were being transported on container ships.” This means youngsters from poor backgrounds, who are good swimmers, swim out to the ships at sea to place drugs onboard. Then, members of the gang head to Spain to intercept these ships before they pass the Strait of Gibraltar. One such interception stopped a ship headed for Cádiz after stowaways were found on deck. Police seized a container holding 1.4 tonnes of cocaine. The stowaways, tasked to recover drugs, escaped. Another ship passing Portuguese waters reported armed stowaways. They managed to unload cocaine bundles hidden in containers and handed them to accomplices before fleeing. Last autumn, officers found five men—three Colombians and two Balkan cartel members—using speedboats to pick up drugs. The police said this “drop-off” method involves throwing drugs from merchant ships towards smaller vessels near the destination country. The gangs subdued ship crews and extracted drugs using military-style tactics and weapons. The drugs were hidden near the Gulf of Cádiz and later moved by road to other European countries. The police also seized assault weapons, boarding ladders, nautical equipment, eight luxury cars, over €166,000 in cash, plus watches and jewellery worth €100,000 during the operation. On Monday, the Policía Nacional announced its biggest drug catch at sea after finding almost 10 tonnes of cocaine hidden in salt on a ship near the Canary Islands.