MADRID — Spanish militarised police boarded a Venezuelan fishing boat carrying nearly four tonnes of cocaine worth hundreds of millions of euros bound for Spain. The drugs were headed for markets across Europe, police sources said. The fishing boat's 10 crewmen, all Venezuelans, were arrested, according to Civil Guard officials. | We've heard other reports of drug smugglers moving operations from Columbia into Venezuela. Seems like they have found the "climate" more to their liking. |
The Yemaya II was boarded on the high seas in the Atlantic and a false compartment containing the cocaine was found during a search of the vessel. The operation was launched after the Civil Guard received a tip that a group of drug traffickers planned to smuggle cocaine into Spain via a maritime route. The tip was confirmed by intelligence received from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which reported the fishing boat's departure for Spain. The Yemaya II is being taken to the Canary Islands, where the boat and its crew will be turned over to judicial officials for processing. |