Spanish police crackdown on Atlantic drug trafficking ship
Spanish authorities rescue hostages and seized a cocaine shipment from traffickers on the Atlantic-bound Sea Paradise in an intense maritime operation
Spanish police successfully defused a tense hostage situation aboard the vessel Sea Paradise, leading to the arrest of all crew members involved in a major cocaine trafficking operation.
The Spanish interior ministry revealed on Wednesday that the high-seas operation, which occurred in November, was kept under judicial secrecy until recently.
According to the ministry, a falling-out among the boat’s crew escalated dramatically when a Serbian national seized the ship following a dispute.
In a violent turn of events, he fatally shot a fellow smuggler, disposed of the body at sea, and held the remaining eight crew members hostage.
The Sea Paradise was carrying an estimated 2.3 tonnes of cocaine from Latin America and was targeted by Spanish authorities tipped off about the narcotics shipment.
The drugs were supposed to be transferred to a smaller vessel near the Canary Islands.
However, upon intercepting the ship at an undisclosed Atlantic location, the police encountered an unforeseen hostage crisis.
After hours of negotiation, the assailant surrendered his weapon and released the crew, who, as per a ministry statement, “feared for their lives.”
Subsequently, the police took all individuals on board into custody and uncovered a hidden compartment containing the substantial cocaine stash.
Source: Newsroom
