Madrid, 8th May, 2026 – Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has revealed that the recent drug seizure is probably the largest single cocaine seizure in European and possibly global history.
He confirmed that the seizure included 30,215 kilograms of cocaine, packed into 1,279 bales, with a street value of €812.2 million. He described the haul as “record-breaking,” underscoring its scale in the fight against transnational organized crime.
But the drugs were not the only discovery. Hidden aboard the 91‑meter vessel was a cache of automatic machine guns, tactical pistols, and ammunition, alongside 43,000 litres of gasoline intended to refuel speedboats for rapid smuggling runs into Europe.
He was speaking at a press conference, Minister Marlaska linked the operation to the Dutch-Moroccan “Mocro Maffia” syndicate, widely reported to be controlled by fugitive kingpin Jos Leijdekkers, known as “Bolle Jos”, who the authorities believe to be hiding in Sierra Leone, a country with no extradition treaty with the Netherlands, and reportedly has ties to influential figures there.
The Arconian, flagged in Comoros, had departed Freetown, Sierra Leone, on April 22 before being intercepted on May 1, some 430 nautical miles south of the Canary Islands. Spanish authorities say the ship was operating as a floating “mothership,” designed to offload cocaine onto smaller, high-speed boats bound for European ports.
All 23 crew members, 17 Filipinos, 5 Dutch nationals, and 1 Surinamese, were arrested and placed in pre-trial detention without bail. Investigators believe the heavily armed Dutch and Surinamese crew acted as guards for the shipment.
The success of Operation Abisal was credited to international cooperation, involving the Spanish Police, Guardia Civil, Europol, US DEA, Dutch police, and naval support from the UK, Portugal, and Italy.
With cocaine worth over €812 million and a hidden arsenal of weapons now off the market, Spanish authorities say the bust is a major blow to organized crime. Yet the shadow of Bolle Jos looms large, with investigators warning that the syndicate’s reach extends deep into West Africa and Sierra Leone may be at the center of its operations.
