Spanish customs officers have dismantled a criminal network suspected of supplying sailing boats for major maritime drug shipments after intercepting a yacht carrying around 2.1 tonnes of cocaine in the Atlantic.
Five people have been arrested so far in Operation Doncella, a joint investigation involving Spain’s Customs Surveillance Service and French customs authorities. Four were detained aboard the yacht, while the suspected leader of the logistics network was arrested in Girona.
The 14-metre sailing boat, flying a Polish flag, was intercepted by the Spanish customs special operations vessel Petrel I around 400 miles off the coast of Galicia.
Officers who boarded the yacht discovered 70 bales of cocaine, weighing close to 2,100 kilos, distributed around the vessel.
The four crew members — nationals of Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia and Albania — were arrested. According to Spain’s Tax Agency, the Albanian suspect was acting as a form of ‘notary’ for the criminal organisation due to receive the shipment, overseeing the operation on its behalf and ensuring it was carried out as planned.
Investigation began in Girona
The investigation started in February after customs intelligence identified a sailing boat in the Girona area that was suspected of having been involved in illicit activity close to the Spanish-French border.
Investigators subsequently focused on the Polish-flagged yacht, which had been displaying several characteristics regarded as risk indicators for maritime smuggling.
The authorities believe the group behind the vessel specialised in obtaining recreational sailing boats for transporting drugs by sea, offering its services to criminal organisations operating in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
The yacht was eventually located in the port of Roses, Girona, in June and placed under surveillance.
On 11 July, officers detected it leaving Roses without activating its AIS tracking system, which the Tax Agency said it was required to use while sailing.
With international cooperation involving the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), coordinated through the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N), the vessel was tracked across the Atlantic.
Petrel I finally located it electronically in the early hours of 14 September, around 400 miles from Galicia.
Suspected boat supplier arrested
As the customs vessel subsequently headed for Vigo, towing the seized yacht, investigators carried out the land-based phase of the operation.
A Chilean national based in Girona, suspected of being responsible for obtaining vessels suitable for drug-trafficking operations, was arrested.
Investigators are also seeking a second suspect, a Spanish national based in Barcelona, who allegedly guarded the vessels, provided security and watched for possible surveillance by the authorities.
The operation was conducted in close cooperation with France’s customs intelligence and investigation directorate, with additional support from Spain’s Intelligence Centre for Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime (CITCO) and MAOC-N.
Those arrested are suspected of offences including membership of a criminal organisation, smuggling and crimes against public health. The case will be handled by Spain’s National Court.
The investigation remains open and further arrests have not been ruled out.
Spanish authorities said the seizure forms part of continuing efforts against the so-called ‘Atlantic cocaine route’, in which sailing boats travelling from South America are used to collect or transfer large quantities of cocaine in the Atlantic before the drugs are brought into Europe.
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Cooperación 🇫🇷🇪🇸 en la lucha contra el narcotráfico.
— La France en Espagne 🇫🇷🇪🇸 (@france_espagne) September 21, 2026
Una intervención conjunta del Servicio de Vigilancia Aduanera @Haciendagob con @douane_france en un velero en el Atlántico, que llevaba más de 2 000 kg de cocaína, concluyó con la desarticulación de un grupo de narcotráfico. pic.twitter.com/WXtE03pRkX
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