2.6 tonnes of cocaine seized in coconut crates
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on 3News
Spanish authorities seized 2.6 tonnes of cocaine hidden in coconut crates loaded at Ghana’s Tema port and arrested two men in Almería. The operation, carried out in August and revealed on 11 November, involved the Spanish Civil Guard and customs, according to 3News.
The two coconut containers left Ghana’s Tema port on 2 August before arriving in Valencia 20 days later. Spanish customs and the Civil Guard launched an inspection because the cargo was considered high-risk, according to 3News.
Officers discovered cocaine hidden in false bottoms fitted inside the wooden crates containing the coconuts. After removing the drugs and resealing the containers, they followed their transfer to two refrigerated lorries until they reached a warehouse in the La Juaida industrial area of Almería, where two men were arrested during unloading, according to 3News.
The operation was jointly carried out by the Civil Guard and the Customs Surveillance Service of the Spanish Tax Agency. The authorities only made information about the seizure public on 11 November, although the operation had taken place in August, according to 3News.
