WATCH: Police pull off one of the biggest cocaine busts in Spain

Roughly 1,500 kilos of cocaine hidden in a container in the port of Barcelona have been seized by Spanish police in one of the largest drug busts in a Spanish port.

On Thursday, May, 19, the Spanish National Police took to Twitter to share the news of their huge cocaine bust:

“1,500 kg of cocaine concealed in a container in the port of #Barcelona. The drug was travelling among legal merchandise in a container from Panama, one of the largest interventions in a Spanish port through the “blind hook”.”

🚩Intervenidos 1.500 kg. de cocaína ocultos en un contenedor en el puerto de #Barcelona

La droga viajaba entre la mercancía legal de un contenedor procedente de Panamá, es una de las mayores intervenciones en puerto español a través del “gancho ciego” pic.twitter.com/IGcaJZuhh3

— Policía Nacional (@policia) May 19, 2022

Credit: Twitter @policia

The Spanish National Police gave a full statement on their cocaine bust on their official website stating:

“The National Police and the Tax Agency, in a joint operation with the collaboration of the DEA of the United States and the National Police of Panama, have seized 1500 kilos of cocaine hidden in a container in the port of Barcelona.”

“The investigation began when the operational units detected a criminal organisation based in Panama and Colombia that was trying to transport four containers to the port of Barcelona, although only one was destined to transport the drug.”

“The efforts made by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Panama led to the identification of the container carrying the drugs, which, as legal merchandise, claimed to be carrying pressed cardboard.”

“The control device set up last Tuesday in the Port of Barcelona made it possible to verify that, behind the first rows of legal goods declared by the container, around 50 bags containing the drug were hidden.”

“After the mandatory count and the “narcotest” tests, it turned out to be around a tonne and a half of cocaine.”

“The investigators emphasise that the consignment of cocaine is one of the largest ever intercepted in a Spanish port by means of the “blind hook” system used by the criminal organisations involved.”

“In this method, the exporting and importing companies are, in theory unaware that their containers are used by the mafias operating within the ports for the import and recovery of cocaine in Europe.”

“A careful analysis of the transport and concealment system of this large consignment of cocaine allows the investigators to state that it is allegedly an organisation with the capacity not only to extract the illicit cargo from the container in an area under high surveillance and control, but also for its subsequent distribution on the European black market.”

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