Spain’s Guardia Civil intercepted the Comoros-flagged cargo vessel Arconian in the North Atlantic off Western Sahara on May 1, seizing 30,215 kilograms (30 tonnes) of cocaine. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska confirmed this is the largest single-operation drug seizure ever recorded worldwide.
Spain’s National Court valued the 1,279-bale cargo at more than €812 million ($956 million) and ordered all 23 crew members held without bail, citing flight risk and the likelihood of further criminal activity. Officers recovered firearms and ammunition on board. Six crew members from the Netherlands and Suriname were found hiding when the Guardia Civil boarded. The remaining 17 crew were from the Philippines.
Imágenes de la intervención del UEI (Unidad Especial de Intervención) de la Guardia Civil española para abordar el mercante Arconian en aguas del Sáhara que transportaba la mayor cantidad de cocaína encontrada hasta la fecha en un buque.
30’2 toneladas de cocaína, a las que se… pic.twitter.com/wXzRnGAqaH— Niporwifi © (@niporwifi) May 10, 2026
El País, citing sources close to the investigation, reported that the Guardia Civil linked the haul to the Mocro Maffia, a Dutch-Moroccan organized crime network, and to Joseph Johannes Leijdekkers, a Dutch fugitive known as “Jos El Gordito.” Dutch authorities had placed Leijdekkers, 34 and among the Netherlands’ most wanted, in Sierra Leone, the country from which the Arconian departed on April 22.
The 90-meter vessel, registered to Serenity Shipping SL Ltd of Freetown, Sierra Leone, was headed to Benghazi, Libya when intercepted. Investigators believe the drugs were to be transferred to high-speed boats for final delivery to the Spanish mainland.
The seizure came five days after Operation Alfa-Lima concluded. That Europol-coordinated effort, running April 13 to April 26, seized 11 tonnes of cocaine and 8.5 tonnes of hashish across the eastern Atlantic corridor between Spain’s Canary Islands and Portugal’s Azores, intercepting eight vessels and arresting 54 people.
“Over a two-week operational period, law enforcement dealt a significant blow to what is known as the cocaine highway,” Jean-Philippe Lecouffe, Europol’s Deputy Executive Director of Operations, said.
The two operations together yielded more than 41 tonnes of cocaine, with Europol confirming that further arrests are expected as follow-up investigations continue.
