Drug smugglers used abandoned Lanzarote shipwreck as refuelling point

A drug ring that has recently been dismantled used the Telamon shipwreck near Costa Teguise as a refuelling point, National Police have revealed.

47 Spanish nationals and a British citizen have been arrested in the Canaries as part of Operation Black Shadow, the dismantling of a large cocaine trafficking ring originating in Brazil and Colombia.20 of the arrests have been made on Lanzarote, where 14 raids and searches took place last week.

The searches resulted in the seizure of approximately €100,000 worth of drugs, three handguns and maritime trafficking equipment such as satellite phones and geolocation devices. Sixty-nine vehicles, including 19 boats and jet skis, were also seized, along with six properties and numerous bank accounts.

According to the National Police, the smugglers used 11 speedboats to transfer drugs from mother ships on the high seas to Canarian shores.  On Lanzarote, the Telamon shipwreck near Costa Teguise was used as a refuelling point by the traffickers.