Drug Trafficking Across Borders: New Cargo of Cocaine of Brazilian Origin Seized in Las Palmas.

Rio/Brazil-A new seizure of cocaine originating in Brazil has been made, this time on a ship bound for Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands. The cargo left Rio Grande, a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, on a Zein 1 model ship, which was carrying livestock and inputs.Along the way, the ship stopped in Montevideo to refuel and top up its cargo, before heading to Las Palmas, where it was intercepted and seized after police officers became suspicious of crew members.The authorities responsible have not yet released the exact amount of cocaine found. However, bags containing 40 kg each were discovered hidden next to the animals’ food, totaling around 2,000 tablets of drugs.Searches continue to determine whether there are more bags hidden on the ship or thrown overboard, following suspicious movements in the port of Uruguay related to the ship coming from Brazil. One crew member was arrested during the operation.Brazilian and European customs investigators believe that the leaders of this operation are the same people involved in other international drug trafficking operations leaving Brazil for Europe. It is suspected that those responsible for receiving the drugs are of Spanish and Moroccan origin, who are already known for committing this type of crime.The suspects, from the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, were already under close surveillance.Research by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) indicates that drug trafficking is one of the most lucrative criminal activities in the world, worth around 320 billion dollars a year, with Brazil among the main exporters of illegal drugs.Incidents like the one on the Zein 1 ship occur sporadically in Brazil. According to the authorities, the investigation remains a secret, with the cooperation of Spanish and Brazilian authorities.But it is known that the ship is now heading for Egypt and Turkey, with a new captain on board.This type of crime is already well known to the authorities, who are continuing their efforts to dismantle international drug trafficking networks.With information and pictures from diverse Brazilian and international sources. (”””)