Spanish police seize cocaine worth $114 million from cattle ship

Police officers discharge drugs from the cattle ship Orion V that was seized off the Canary Islands, in the port of Las Palmas, in the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, January 26, 2023. REUTERS/Borja Suarez

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish police seized 4.5 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated street value of 105 million euros ($114 million) after raiding a cattle ship off the Canary Islands earlier this week, a statement said on Saturday.

The ship had stopped at ports in about a dozen countries before Tuesday's raid, and police said drug smugglers had started using livestock ships because it was more difficult for police to trace their illicit cargo.