Spanish authorities say they have carried out what they describe as a record-breaking cocaine seizure in the Atlantic Ocean, intercepting a vessel carrying an estimated 35 to 40 tonnes of cocaine during an international operation targeting transnational drug trafficking networks.
The ship, approximately 295 feet in length and sailing under the flag of Comoros, was intercepted by Spain’s Guardia Civil and escorted to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, according to Spanish and European media reports.
Authorities have arrested 23 suspects, including nationals from the Philippines, Angola and the Netherlands, in what is being described as one of the largest maritime cocaine seizures ever recorded in the Atlantic.
Spanish officials have reportedly told Sky News that they had “never before encountered” such a large consignment of cocaine at sea.
Investigators are also examining possible links between the shipment and Dutch fugitive drug trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, widely known as “Bolle Jos”, one of Europe’s most wanted suspects in major cocaine trafficking cases. Spanish authorities have not confirmed any direct operational link and investigations are ongoing.
Some international media reports have previously alleged that Leijdekkers has developed connections within Sierra Leone, including claims of proximity to influential political circles linked to the government of President Julius Maada Bio. These claims have not been independently verified, and Sierra Leonean authorities have not publicly confirmed or substantiated them.
Reports also indicate the vessel may have departed from Freetown, Sierra Leone on 22 April 2026 before heading toward the Mediterranean. Authorities have not yet released full details of the vessel’s ownership, loading point, or trafficking chain.
The ship is also reported to have been en route to Benghazi, Libya when intercepted in international waters, highlighting established Atlantic trafficking routes linking South America, West Africa and Europe.
The reported departure from Freetown has placed renewed attention on Sierra Leone’s maritime systems, including port operations and shipping controls, as investigators seek to determine how a vessel allegedly carrying such a large consignment entered international waters undetected.
The Sierra Leone Ports and Harbours Authority has not been accused of wrongdoing, and no official findings have been released suggesting that drugs were loaded at port facilities.
However, maritime security analysts say cases of this scale typically prompt reviews of cargo inspection procedures, vessel clearance documentation, port surveillance systems and customs enforcement coordination.
Authorities are expected to determine whether the vessel was loaded in Sierra Leone, used the port as a transit point, or was already compromised through offshore trafficking methods.
The case has also renewed broader international scrutiny of Sierra Leone, which has in recent years appeared more frequently in global reporting on drug trafficking routes through West Africa.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has warned that West African coastal states are increasingly used as transit corridors for cocaine shipments moving from South America to European markets, exploiting long coastlines, limited surveillance capacity and complex maritime logistics.
Spanish authorities have not confirmed whether the 23 individuals arrested are linked to a single trafficking network or to the suspected broader operation involving Leijdekkers. Investigations remain ongoing.
Sierra Leonean authorities have not yet publicly commented on the reported link between the vessel and Freetown or the broader allegations circulating in international media.
