Spanish authorities have arrested two people after intercepting 2,600 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in two shipping containers originating from Ghana at the Port of Valencia.
The seizure has raised fresh concerns about the use of Ghanaian ports as departure points for major cocaine shipments into Europe, following a similar interception in France in September 2026.
According to a November 11, 2026, statement by Spain’s Tax Agency and Civil Guard, the containers were loaded at the Port of Tema on August 2 before arriving in Valencia on August 22.
The cocaine was hidden in specially constructed false compartments beneath wooden boxes used to transport coconuts, which had been declared as the containers’ cargo.
Customs officers flagged the shipment for inspection after the Entry Summary Unit of the Customs Surveillance service identified it as high-risk during routine international trade monitoring.
A physical examination of the containers uncovered false bottoms in the wooden boxes, revealing the cocaine concealed beneath the structures.
Following the discovery, investigators placed the shipment under surveillance as the containers were transferred from the port into two refrigerated trucks.
The vehicles were subsequently tracked to an industrial warehouse at the La Juaida estate in Viator, Almeria, where security operatives arrested two suspects.
The arrested individuals were identified as the importer of the consignment and the person allegedly responsible for unloading the drugs.
The operation involved customs surveillance teams in Valencia and Almeria, alongside the Civil Guard’s Organised Crime Unit and its Fiscal and Border Analysis and Investigation Unit.
Spanish authorities say investigations are continuing to establish whether the suspects have links to money-laundering networks and other logistical operations within Spain.
The latest interception follows another major cocaine seizure involving a shipment from Ghana in September 2026, when French customs officers intercepted nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine at the northern port of Dunkirk.
The drugs were concealed in a container carrying plastic waste that had also arrived from Ghana.
That seizure prompted Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shipment and how it left the country.
Although the latest Spanish operation has resulted in two arrests, authorities have not identified any Ghanaian nationals as suspects or disclosed whether investigations have led to arrests in Ghana.
The repeated interception of large cocaine consignments originating from Ghana is likely to intensify scrutiny of the country’s maritime cargo screening and anti-narcotics enforcement measures.
