Cocaine seized on oil tanker

2009-10-17 17:33

Madrid - More than half a ton of cocaine was found hidden on board an oil tanker when it docked at the Spanish port of Tarragona, police said on Saturday.

The Guardia Civil said the ship, which has not been named, was en route from Venezuela to Egypt when it stopped at Tarragona to allow the captain to be relieved.

Officers said suspicions were raised by the route taken by the vessel, which left the port of Maracaibo in mid-September, and the drugs were uncovered during a search.

"The 510 kilos of cocaine were hidden in a room next to the rudder machinery, accessed through a hatch inside the ship or from the sea," police said.

Early indications suggest a gang of drug traffickers with dinghies and diving equipment may have entered the ship from the sea and stashed the 14 bales of cocaine, planning to retrieve them by the same method when the tanker docked.

Spain is one of the main entry points for drugs coming into Europe, both for cannabis from North Africa and cocaine from Latin America.

- AFP