No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeDrug traffickingSpain police seize tons of cocaine among pineapples shipped from Costa Rica...

Spain police seize tons of cocaine among pineapples shipped from Costa Rica

MADRID — Spanish police seized 2.5 tons of cocaine hidden among pineapples on a ship from Costa Rica in one of the biggest ever seizures of the drug, they said Wednesday.

The cocaine was stuffed in 2,296 packages hidden among the fruit in a shipping container that arrived at the Mediterranean port of Algeciras. It was tracked and seized later at a warehouse near Madrid, police said in a statement.

The authorities gave no estimate for the street value of the cocaine but online newspaper El Confidencial estimated it was worth over 150 million euros ($200 million).

“This is one of the biggest seizures carried out in European Union ports,” the police statement said.

Police arrested six people in the Madrid suburb of Valdemoro, where the alleged drug traffickers are accused of storing the cocaine in a warehouse.

The authorities located the drug shipment in Algeciras thanks to a tip-off and tailed traffickers as they transported the cocaine to the warehouse.

Spain’s close ties to Latin America have made it the key entry point for cocaine from the continent bound for Europe.

Roughly 4.5 metric tons of cocaine with ties to Costa Rican has been seized in the last 24 hours, Public Security Minister Mario Zamora said.

 

Trending Now

Djokovic says Alcaraz equipped to extend winning streak

Novak Djokovic believes world number one Carlos Alcaraz has what it takes to keep his 2026 winning streak alive, and the Serbian star who...

Dubai ATP Fallout Players Stuck After Iran Strikes Ground Flights Across the Gulf

A group of ATP players and staff were left stranded in Dubai this week after regional airspace closures and flight cancellations followed Iran’s missile...

FIFA Says Demand Is Driving Prices As World Cup Ticket Costs Skyrocket

From almost $900 for the opening game to over $8,000 for the final, match tickets are far from cheap for the World Cup which...

Costa Rica Records Another Month of Negative Inflation

Costa Rica recorded negative annual inflation for another month in February 2026, with overall prices down 2.73 percent from the same period a year...

Women march in Venezuela for freedom of female political prisoners on Women’s Day

Under the slogan They Count, hundreds of activists and relatives of female political prisoners marched this Sunday in Caracas as part of International Women’s...

Costa Rica Backs Grynspan to Lead United Nations Starting 2027

Costa Rica formally entered former Vice President Rebeca Grynspan into the race for United Nations Secretary-General on Tuesday. The government sent a diplomatic note...
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica