The Interior Ministry has issued a statement regarding the seizure of four tons of cocaine aboard the Tanzanian-flagged vessel RAS, which was intercepted off the Canary Islands by Spanish and French authorities on Oct 4. The operation resulted in the arrest of 10 individuals, including seven Turkish nationals, two Azerbaijanis, and one Dutch citizen.
In a social media post, the ministry confirmed that the drug shipment had been transferred to the RAS while it was in the Atlantic Ocean. According to the statement, the cocaine originated from South America and was loaded onto the RAS by "ghost ships," which are vessels operating without AIS signals to evade detection, near Guinea or Mauritania. The drugs were then intended for distribution in Europe.
Route of the ship
The RAS departed from Zeytinburnu, İstanbul, on Jul 28, after being under observation since Jul 19, according to the ministry. The ship's movements were closely monitored as part of the ongoing cooperation between Turkey’s Anti-Narcotics Department and Spain’s Narcotics Police.
The vessel followed a complex route, making a brief stop in Casablanca, Morocco, on Aug 9-10, before continuing towards Sierra Leone. It anchored off Freetown from Aug 21 to Sep 11, before moving north to the waters between Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, where it awaited port clearance from Sep 13 to Sep 20. The ship then spent 21 hours in Bissau’s port on Sep 21 before continuing its journey.
After leaving Bissau, the ship’s next listed destination was Alexandria, Egypt, with an estimated arrival date of Oct 15. However, between Sep 23 and 29, the vessel made suspicious maneuvers, including reducing speed significantly off the coasts of Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania. It was ultimately intercepted on Oct 4 by Spanish and French authorities northeast of the Canary Islands, where the drugs were confiscated.
The ministry emphasized its ongoing collaboration with international law enforcement to combat drug trafficking. (VK)