Spanish police release pictures of record European cocaine haul seized off Canary Islands

Spanish police have released pictures of Europe's largest cocaine seizure after officers boarded a ship off the Canary Islands earlier this month.

An image of the huge haul laid out on a dock in Madrid, as well as a picture of guns found on board, were published by the Guardia ‌Civil, an elite unit that investigates serious crimes, on Friday.

Officers boarded the 90m-long (295ft) Arconian, registered in the Comoros Islands, after intercepting it on 1 May.

They found 27 tonnes (27,215kg) of the drug, valued at more than £700m (€812m), on board, Spain's ​High Court said on Thursday.

The vessel's 23-member crew have been detained without bail, according to the court.

Last week's haul surpasses the previous European record of 22.7 tonnes (22,700kg) seized at Hamburg ⁠in northern Germany in June 2024.

It is more than twice Spain's own record of 11.8 tonnes (11,8000kg), found in a shipment of Ecuadorean bananas at Algeciras, southern Spain, last year.

Detectives, who worked with US ‌and Dutch counterparts, believe the banned drugs would have been smuggled into Spain on high-speed boats.

Firearms and ammunition were also discovered on the ship and officers found six crew members, from the Netherlands and Suriname, hiding when they boarded.

The other 17 crew members were from the Philippines.

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The court ordered the crew be held ⁠without bail, citing the seriousness of ​the alleged offences, flight risk and the ​likelihood of further criminal activity while the investigation continues.

The Arconian left Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, on 22 April, before being intercepted by the Guardia Civil in the North Atlantic between the coast of North Africa and the Canary Islands.

(c) Sky News 2026: Spanish police release pictures of record European cocaine haul seized off Canary Islands